Watford legend Troy Deeney, along with former Leeds United winger Mike Grella and former West Ham United midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker, has shared a way-too-early top-five list for the 2027 Ballon d’Or.
Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo, Deeney, Grella and Nigel Reo-Coker all compiled a combined list of the players who will finish in the top five for next year’s Ballon d’Or.
They ranked Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal to finish in first position, while Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé will finish in second position.
According to them, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham will finish in third place, Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise will occupy fourth place, and Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães will complete the fifth position.
Explaining his decision to put Yamal in the number one position, Reo-Coker said, “I put him there because of his influence in games. Look at the Atletico Madrid game; he affects the game, and it is hard to argue.”
Yamal finished in third position in the 2026 Ballon d’Or ranking behind Mbappé and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, who won the award.