Rothen: Doue's Absence from the 2026 Ballon d'Or 30-Man List Is Ridiculous

Former Paris Saint-Germain player Rothen believes that Doue's absence from the 2026 Ballon d'Or 30-man list is difficult to understand.

The 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d'Or has been announced. As usual, the list has sparked controversy, especially regarding Doue's omission. The player impressed last spring as he helped Paris Saint-Germain pursue the second Champions League title in the club's history. The decision to leave out a player who ranked 14th last season came as a surprise and even angered Rothen during an RMC program. The commentator said: "Either they completely failed to properly evaluate his performances, or they simply did not watch the matches seriously. Looking at Paris Saint-Germain's journey last year, if Doue had only been an average player, do you think he would have played in all those key matches? Enrique would have taken him off much earlier, especially with such intense competition. Doue was always playing in the most important matches. Look at his performances in the games before the Champions League final; most of the time he was the player who decided the outcome. In the semi-final and final, he was one of the best players on the pitch."

The omission of the 2025 Golden Boy Award winner is even more difficult to understand, because Rothen believes some players on the list should not have been included. Although he did not name them, he was likely referring to Senegalese player Mane (Al Nassr) and Mexican player Julian Quinones (Al-Qadsiah). Rothen said: "You remove him from the 30-man list and put some others in? He sometimes makes unnecessary moves. Why does this happen? When you think you are above others, sometimes you want to show off and attempt difficult moves. But that does not mean he has become arrogant or that he is a bad kid. In the match against Rennes, Paris Saint-Germain escaped trouble thanks to Ferran Torres, but fortunately Doue was also on the pitch. He was the only one who still had energy. Why has he disappeared from the list?"

Doue may still find some comfort from the fact that players such as Dembele, Kvaratskhelia, Hakimi, Fabian Ruiz, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Marquinhos, Joao Neves and Willian Pacho were selected, and Ferran Torres was also included.