Luis Díaz joins the Ballon d'Or race with real numbers at Bayern Munich

There he is again, among the best in the world. Luis Díaz shows up on the list of 30 Ballon d'Or nominees, and this time he arrives backed by numbers that speak for themselves: 26 goals and 23 assists in his first season wearing the Bayern Munich jersey. That's no small feat for a winger who landed in Germany carrying the label of "big signing" and ended up becoming a key piece for a team that walked away with the Bundesliga title.

For the Guajiro, this marks his second nomination, something not every Colombian player can claim. With Bayern he won the league and reached the Champions League semifinals, two weighty arguments when it comes to justifying his spot on this list. His World Cup, on the other hand, was quieter: one goal in five matches, with more shadows than light compared to what he showed for his club throughout the year. Even so, the sum of his season was enough to get him among the chosen names.

What's striking is that he isn't alone from the Bavarian locker room. Harry Kane and Michael Olise, two of his Bayern teammates, also appear among the nominees, confirming that the Bundesliga title had collective merit and didn't go unnoticed by the panel.

Colombia also has another representative on the list, though with a different passport: Julián Quiñones, born in the coffee country but a naturalized Mexican, who had a standout World Cup with the Mexico national team and earned his place among the 30 names purely through his performances in the tournament.

A star-studded field

The competition, as always, is fierce. Among the names are Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) and Rodri, who moved from Manchester City to Barcelona, three names who were central figures at the 2026 World Cup. There's also Ousmane Dembélé, the reigning winner of the award in 2025 and Champions League champion with PSG, and Lamine Yamal, Barcelona's rising jewel who also picked up a World Cup winner's medal with Spain.

Rounding out the list are Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) and two Spanish world champions riding high right now: Marc Cucurella, who moved from Chelsea to Real Madrid, and Pau Cubarsí, the Barcelona center back who has established himself as one of Europe's most solid young talents.

Does Díaz have a real shot at winning it? With this lineup, winning looks tough, but being among the 30 is already recognition of a year in which his play on the field mattered more than any isolated stumble. The winner's name will be revealed on October 26 in London, and until then, all that's left is to see whether the Colombian adds one more surprise to his season.