Luis Díaz finishes 24th in 2026 Ballon d'Or, down from 17th in 2022

Colombian winger Luis Díaz finished 24th in the 2026 Ballon d'Or, a drop of seven places from his 17th-place finish in 2022. The ceremony, held for the first time in London at the London Palladium, saw Bayern Munich teammate Harry Kane win the award. Source: Infobae, Portafolio, El Tiempo

The ranking

Díaz placed between Nuno Mendes (23rd) and Marquinhos (25th), ahead of Dayot Upamecano, Bruno Fernandes, Julián Quiñones, William Saliba, and Sadio Mané. Source: Portafolio, El Tiempo His 2026 finish was lower than his 2022 result, though sources note the two votes covered different seasons and candidate pools. Source: Portafolio

Performance and injury

Díaz's nomination was backed by 51 matches, 26 goals, and 20 assists (one source says 19 assists) in the 2025-26 season, helping Bayern win the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and German Super Cup. Source: Infobae, El Tiempo However, he is currently sidelined with a muscle tear requiring about a month of recovery. Source: El Tiempo

Reaction and outlook

At the gala, Díaz told DAZN: "We always die and kill to represent them [Colombia]." Source: Infobae He publicly backed Kane for the award, calling him "the best goalscorer in the world." Source: Infobae While some sources note his World Cup performance with Colombia may have limited his final ranking, his presence among the 30 nominees reaffirms his status as Colombia's top international footballer. Source: El Tiempo