A new layer of intrigue has been added to the 2026 Ballon d’Or race, with a hidden code in a recent ceremony advert reportedly offering a way to identify the winner before the announcement.

The contest for the game’s most prestigious individual award is unusually open this year. Several leading contenders have strong cases, but each also carries obvious doubts, which has made the outcome difficult to call and far harder to predict than in many previous editions.

That uncertainty has only encouraged supporters and observers to search for clues. L’Équipe journalist Loïc Tanzi said a recent promotional image for the ceremony contains numbers that can be decoded to reveal the result.

“Look closely at the numbers,” he wrote on X. “There is a code to decipher to find out the winner. Very difficult level but not unplayable.”

The image features numbers surrounding the Ballon d’Or in the background, and social media has quickly turned them into a puzzle. Some users have approached the task with detailed theories, others with logic, and some simply to make jokes about the nominees.

One user used AI in an attempt to solve it, with the result pointing to Kane as the winner in London. The same line of reasoning cited his career-best return of 73 goals for club and country, along with Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga title and England’s third-place finish at the 2026 World Cup. The graphic was also said to resemble the Bundesliga trophy.

Others have argued for Mbappé, noting that he finished the season as top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup. Yet he ended the campaign without a trophy, which has prompted mockery online, including the suggestion that the two 0s in the image represent his “blank years” at Real.

Lamine Yamal also remains a major contender after his role in Barcelona’s La Liga and Spanish Super Cup success, before helping Spain to world glory in North America last summer. If his name is read out, he would become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever.

Beyond the front-runners, some have even used the numbers to back Dembélé for a second straight win, while another joked that Ronald Araújo could be the surprise answer.

Raheem Sterling has admitted to possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation and dangerous driving after a crash involving his Lamborghini on a U.K. highway in May.

Police were called to the scene in the morning after the car moved into the central reservation dividing the highway before hitting a metal gate at a turnout. At the time, a Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson told BBC Sport: “a single vehicle collision, involving a Lamborghini, on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange [Hampshire], on May 28, 2026.

“No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.”

Sterling accepted charges of dangerous driving, possessing six canisters of nitrous oxide, a Class C drug commonly known as laughing gas, and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

The 31-year-old was in the passenger seat when officers arrived, with the driver’s side empty and two canisters on his lap. During the court appearance, an eye witness described Sterling’s conduct as “absolutely horrendous driving”.

The U.K. Highway Code states: “Parliament sets the maximum penalties for road traffic offenses. The seriousness of the offense is reflected in the maximum penalty. It is for the courts to decide what sentence to impose according to circumstances.”

For dangerous driving, the maximum penalty is a two-year prison sentence, together with an unlimited fine and compulsory disqualification from driving.

Real Madrid’s summer business has placed Endrick in a more awkward position than before, with the arrival of Yan Diomande reshaping the attacking picture. The 19-year-old has come in as the headline signing of the window and is expected to go straight into José Mourinho’s first team for the 2026-27 season, most likely on the right wing.

Diomande is capable of playing on either side, but a route into the left-sided role looks blocked by Vinícius Jr, who has recently agreed a new six-year deal. The right flank had already been identified as an area for reinforcement, especially after the ACL injury Rodrygo suffered in the spring, but the new arrival now adds further pressure to the squad balance.

That has direct consequences for Endrick, who has only just returned to the club. The 20-year-old Brazil international has found first-team chances difficult to secure since arriving with significant attention in the summer of 2024, and he spent the second half of last season on loan with Lyon.

His spell there was productive. In 21 appearances across six months, he scored eight goals and provided eight assists, form that helped earn him a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad this summer. He then shortened his holiday to join preseason training early, hoping to make an impression on Mourinho. He did exactly that by scoring the opening goal in Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Fiorentina, standing out while several senior players remained away after the World Cup.

Even so, the latest transfer activity makes regular minutes look far from guaranteed once competitive matches begin. Diomande now occupies one wide role, Brahim Díaz and Rodrygo are also among the options when available, and Carlos Espí has been signed as a ‘plan B’ choice for Kylian Mbappé in central attack.

Reports now suggest another loan is possible. “The possibility for Endrick to consider a loan move in the final weeks of the window is something we cannot exclude,” Fabrizio Romano revealed.

AS Roma have been linked, while Ramón Álvarez de Mon says Premier League options are being explored. Mundo Deportivo add that Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Real Betis have all asked about a loan, with Endrick said to want to play in Europe.