Nigeria's designated representative in the 2026 Ballon d'Or voting panel selected Manchester City midfielder Rodri as the premier footballer globally, according to detailed ballots published by France Football on Friday.
The West African nation formed part of an exclusive group of ten countries whose participating sports journalists placed the Spanish international at the very top of their individual rankings for the prestigious annual accolade.
Alongside Nigeria, the countries whose voters awarded their maximum points to Rodri included the United States, Guatemala, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Thailand, Vietnam, Croatia, and Iceland.
When the final tallies were compiled across all global voters, Rodri secured fourth position overall with a total of 726 points.
Who led the final standings?
The ultimate winner of the 2026 prize was Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who claimed the top honor by accumulating 1,055 points.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé finished as runner-up with 1,027 points, while Barcelona teenage sensation Lamine Yamal completed the podium in third place after securing 881 points.
Beyond selecting Rodri as the ultimate winner, the Nigerian journalist's ballot placed Paris Saint-Germain attacker Ousmane Dembélé in the second- choice position, reflecting distinct preferences from the wider global consensus that crowned the final award recipients.