Hardly has the dust settled on the recent Ballon d'Or ceremony in London than the initial rankings for next year's award have already arrived. Authority football outlet Goal, which tracks the race continuously throughout the campaign, published its opening power rankings for the upcoming cycle yesterday.

At this early stage, Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal leads the pack. The teenage sensation sits ahead of Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, who once again finds himself slotted into second place. Rounding out the top three is Barcelona’s Brazilian winger Raphinha, rewarded for his sensational start to the season, while reigning Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane opens his title defense down in fourth.

As with any inaugural ranking of a new voting cycle, the hierarchy remains highly fluid and is expected to shift dramatically as the decisive domestic and European stages of the season unfold.