Ballon d’Or 2026: He’s fantastic – Unai Emery names player to win award

Aston Villa manager, Unai Emery, has named his winner for this year’s Ballon d’Or.

Speaking recently at his post-match after Aston Villa’s UEFA Super Cup 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, Emery named Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or.

The former Arsenal coach cited the impact the Georgia international has made for both Napoli and PSG.

“Kvaratskhelia is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or in my opinion. He is fantastic,” Emery said at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg.

“Of course, his impact was fantastic two years ago in Napoli and now at PSG. He was one of the best players that was not at the World Cup, and he is fit.

“The decision isn’t mine, but I think he can win this trophy,” Emery added.

Kvaratskhelia is expected to battle players like Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe for the Ballon d’Or.