Lead:
England striker Harry Kane of Bayern Munich claimed the Ballon d'Or award with 1055 points, defeating France's Kylian Mbappe by a margin of just 28 points — the smallest gap between winner and runner-up under the current voting system. Kane became the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
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Ballon d'Or voting reveals sharp disparity in Lionel Messi's ranking — The Argentine icon finished fifth with 612 points, trailing Kane by 443 points despite scoring 8 goals at the 2026 World Cup and leading Inter Miami to their first-ever league title. Only five nations placed Messi first in their ballots.Al-Karmah moves atop Iraqi Premier League after stoppage-time winner — Egyptian forward Marwan Hamdi struck in the 90+1st minute to give Al-Karmah a 1-0 victory over Dohuk, lifting the Baghdad side to 27 points and league leadership. Coach Moamen Soliman celebrated the decisive goal intensely with staff and substitutes.Al-Sharjah and Al-Nasser share UAE basketball summit with matching records — Both clubs improved to 4 points atop the UAE men's league standings after Round Two, with Al-Sharjah defeating Al-Wasl 77-71 and Al-Nasser beating Al-Waihda 93-87.Barcelona hosts Deportivo Alaves aiming to recover from consecutive defeats — The Catalan side leads the Spanish league with 27 points from nine wins and one loss across 10 matches, seeking to bounce back after losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.Ashraf Hakimi scores first career hat-trick as PSG routs Le Havre 5-1 — Morocco winger Hakimi netted three goals in the 28th, 55th, and 69th minutes to lead the defending French champions past the league's bottom-placed side.Al-Hilal pursues Saudi league lead against bottom-ranked Al-Fath — The Riyadh club sits third with 27 points from nine wins in ten matches and aims to catch runaway leader Al-Qadisiyah, facing sixth-placed Al-Fath on Saturday.What to Watch:
Manchester City hosts Brighton Saturday in English Premier League Round Nine, with City level on 21 points atop the table against third-place Brighton's 16 points.Iraqi Premier League Round 12 concludes Saturday with four fixtures, including Naft Missan versus Zakho, as title race intensifies between Al-Karmah and other contenders.