.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26auto%3Dwebp%26quality%3D75%26crop%3D3%3A2%2Csmart%26trim%3D&w=3840&q=100)
Ballon d'Or 2026 odds: Scott McTominay's chances of glory ranked vs Liverpool, PSG and Barcelona superstars
He becomes the first Scottish men's player to be named in the list since Rangers legend Ally McCoist, who finished 21st back in 1987.
Denis Law remains the only Scotsman to have won the award after his triumph in 1964.
The Ballon d'Or recognises the best players in world football and has been up for grabs since 1956. The likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane have all got their hands on the trophy.
McTominay, who has 61 caps for Scotland, joined Napoli from Premier League giants Manchester United for a fee of £25.7million a year ago. He scored 12 goals in his debut season and won the Scudetto for a fourth time.
He was also named as the Italian top-flight 'Most Valuable Player' and now joins this year's shortlist alongside Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, England and Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane, Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool title-winner Mohamed Salah.
Here, the Edinburgh Evening News ranks McTominay's chances of scooping the award based on the latest odds provided by football betting site talkSPORT Bet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
West Ham have £30m bid rejected for highly-rated Championship star - after Graham Potter identified midfielder as his top target
West Ham have had a £30million bid rejected for Southampton midfielder Mateus Fernandes. Hammers boss Graham Potter identified the 21-year-old as his top target as he looks to bolster his midfield ahead of the new season. Relegated Saints turned down West Ham's opening offer, which is understood to be around half their valuation of the player. It remains to be seen whether the Hammers will return with an improved bid with insiders acknowledging the two clubs' valuations are very different. Fernandes came on as a second-half substitute in Southampton's dramatic victory over Wrexham on the opening day of the Championship season. West Ham have strengthened their defensive line over the summer with the arrival of wing-back El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague for £19m and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen from Leicester City for £18m. Getting at least one new midfielder is now the priority for Potter with the club also keen on Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey. West Ham are yet to make a formal approach for the £40m-rated midfielder who Daily Mail Sport revealed is yet to be convinced by the idea of joining Villa's Premier League rivals.
North Wales Chronicle
2 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Alexander Isak handed shirt number by Newcastle despite speculation over future
The 25-year-old Sweden international, the subject of a rejected £110million bid from Premier League champions Liverpool, has been left to train alone since withdrawing from the club's pre-season trip to Singapore and South Korea citing a thigh injury. Magpies head coach Eddie Howe revealed at the weekend that the former Real Sociedad frontman was fit, but could not be considered for selection having indicated he wanted to explore his options this summer. Confirming our squad numbers for the 25/26 season! 🔢 — Newcastle United (@NUFC) August 12, 2025 However when Newcastle, who value the player at £150m, published their squad list for the new campaign on Tuesday, his name appeared alongside the number 14, the shirt he has worn since his £63m switch from Sociedad three summers ago. The number nine shirt vacated by Callum Wilson and previously worn by the likes of Geordie greats Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer, remains vacant. The squad list was announced as the battle over Isak, who has three years remaining on his contract at St James' Park, raged on behind the scenes. Speaking after Saturday's 2-0 Sela Cup defeat by Atletico Madrid, Howe was both diplomatic and firm about the situation. He said: 'I think I've said many times, he is contracted to us. He's our player. The club basically make the decision on his future. I don't know what that will be. 'Of course, I have a preferred outcome on the best and strongest squad possible, but also I want players that really want to play for this football club.' The Magpies have insisted since the end of last season that Isak would not be sold this summer and although a bid close to their asking price might leave them with a decision to make, that remains their stance. However, amid suggestions that the player could be reintegrated into the squad, sources close to him were briefing that he would not play for the club again. Newcastle, who were already looking for a replacement for Wilson, have taken a pragmatic approach and have made significant efforts to recruit a series of forwards. They have missed out on Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko but remain in the hunt for Brentford's Yoane Wissa. But they will not countenance selling Isak even at the right price if they cannot plug the sizeable gap he would leave, and neither of those requirements has yet been met. One player who has left Newcastle is Greece goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, who has joined Sevilla on a season-long loan.
Daily Record
3 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Ayr United in mourning as tributes paid to iconic defender Rikki Fleming
Former teammates have led tributes to one of the stalwarts of Ally MacLeod's famous side. Ayr United are mourning the loss of another great with the death of iconic defender Rikki Fleming at the age of 78. Ice cool Rikki, who began his career with Rangers, spent 10 years at Somerset Park after being signed by Ally MacLeod from Kilwinning Rangers in November 1968. He went on to make more than 350 appearances as an Honest Man and was part of the team widely acknowledged as one of Ayr's greatest ever: Stewart, Malone, Murphy, Fleming, Quinn, Mitchell, Young, Ferguson, Ingram, McCulloch, Rough. Rikki was a standout in the team which beat Rangers 2-1 in September 1969 before a record crowd of 25,225, a game which is etched in the memory of those privileged to be there. In March 1974, he played for the Scottish League against the Football League at Maine Road. He won the Ayr Supporters' Association player of the year award that season for the second time and was revered as a fans' favourite. Rikki played a key part as Ayr qualified for the inaugural Premier Division in 1975 where they held their own for three seasons. He was sold to Hibs for £10,000 in 1978 for a £10,000 transfer fee before finishing his senior career with Berwick Rangers. Former skipper and assistant manager Davie Wells recalled: 'Rikki was totally dedicated, always unflappable and was so good in the air. "He was a wonderful player and used to share a few laughs with George 'Dandy' McLean, who like him had played for Rangers before joining Ayr.' Striker Neil Hood was a close pal of Rikki both on and off the park, spending foreign holidays with him when they were Somerset teammates. He said: 'He was a super guy and a fantastic footballer. It was somewhat ironic that he went on to become a taxi server because when he was at Ayr he couldn't drive and relied on public transport and teammates for lifts. 'We used to go to Glasgow dance halls together and his famous chat-up line was always the same. I'm Rikki, ex-Rangers and now a superstar with Ayr United.' Former Ayrshire Post Sports Editor Mike Wilson reckons Rikki was one of the classiest players to pull on the black and white. He said: 'Rikki was a star in a golden era for Ayr in the late 60s and 70s under Ally MacLeod who led them into the Premier Division. 'He formed a formidable partnership with the hard as nails Stan Quinn and they were the perfect foil for each other. Rikki was always unruffled no matter the opponent, a real class act who served the club well for 10 years.' Rikki and teammate Dick Malone were inducted into the Ayr Hall of Fame in 2010. Rikki, who had progressed dementia, had spent the last six months of his life in a care home before passing away.
