Andrej Stare (foto: Nogomania)
Slovenian Ballon d'Or voter Andrej Stare surprised with his choices, placing Rodri eighth and selecting Diogo Costa as the best goalkeeper. Here’s a look at his full ballot.
France Football, the organizer of the Ballon d'Or, recently published the voting results, including details on how each of the 100 journalists cast their votes. Representing Slovenia was veteran journalist and former TV Slovenia reporter Andrej Stare, known for occasionally casting unconventional votes that diverge from the final rankings.
This year, Stare's votes turned heads again. He placed Rodri, the Ballon d'Or winner, only eighth on his list. Similarly, he ranked Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid just fifth, suggesting he didn't see the Brazilian as a top contender for the prestigious award.
Stare's top choice went to Jude Bellingham, with Erling Haaland in second and Kylian Mbappe in third. The rest of his top ten included Lautaro Martinez, Vinicius Junior, Phil Foden, Harry Kane, Rodri, Nico Williams, and Florian Wirtz.
In the Coach of the Year category, Stare gave his top vote to Xabi Alonso, the coach of Bayer Leverkusen, followed by Lionel Scaloni, the manager of Argentina’s national team.
Perhaps the most intriguing choice came in the Best Goalkeeper category. Stare chose Diogo Costa, the Portuguese goalkeeper for Porto, as his top pick. He placed Unai Simon of Spain in second and Gianluigi Donnarumma of Italy in third.