Sixty-four goals in 75 games, and still nobody had him on a list
Julian Quinones is on the 30-man Ballon d’Or 2026 shortlist. Read that again. The Al-Qadsiah striker had never once been mentioned in this conversation, not by pundits, not by bookmakers, not by anyone tracking the race since spring.
He was born in Colombia. He has been a Mexico international since 2023, 27 caps, 6 goals. In Mexico the reaction was immediate. TUDN had actually run the rumour a day before the official list dropped, and most people shrugged it off.
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The case that holds up, and the one that does not
Ballon d’Or voting ranks three things in order: individual performance first, then team success and trophies, then class and fair play.
Criterion one, he has an argument. Al-Qadsiah paid close to 14 million euros for him in 2024 and got 64 goals in 75 appearances. He won the Saudi Pro League scoring title with 33, finishing ahead of Ivan Toney on 32 and Cristiano Ronaldo on 28. Then he added 4 at the 2026 World Cup, more than any other player in the Mexico squad.
Criterion two is where it falls apart. No trophies. And those 4 goals left him ninth on the tournament scoring list.
Then there is Mikel Oyarzabal, who is not in the top 30 at all. The Spaniard scored 5 at the World Cup, won it, and arrived off a 15-goal season in 34 games in one of the strongest leagues on the planet. Somebody on the voting panel will have to explain that one.
Mexico celebrates, and the agent starts working the phones
“Pride! Quinones’ Ballon d’Or nomination is official,” TUDN posted. On Futbol Picante, an ESPN Mexico journalist doubled down on the pick: “Nobody scored 4 goals at the Azteca Stadium in a World Cup. Quinones did. He finished top scorer in Saudi Arabia, where plenty of big names play, including Benzema. For me, he was one of the 10 best players at the World Cup.” Club America and Atlas, both former clubs, sent congratulations.
His agent Fabio Marin Pilonieta went further with TUDN. The contract was already extended to 2029 before the World Cup, and release clauses have since been written in. “We agreed with the club that if any person or team showed interest, we would first make sure it was a strong side from one of the five major leagues in the world,” he said.
He was playing the day the list came out. Al-Qadsiah won 3-2 against Al-Ahli.
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