Last year’s
winner Ousmane Dembele, as well as Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, are among the
top contenders for the men’s Ballon d’Or.
The 30 men’s and
30 women’s nominees were revealed by France Football magazine on Tuesday, with
the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on October 26.
In the women’s
field, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Melchie Dumornay are
among the favourites. Aitana Bonmatí, the winner of the past three awards, did
not make the cut after missing most of the season through injury. She returned
at the end of Barcelona’s quadruple-winning season that included another
Champions League title.
Dembele and
Mbappe both played for France at the World Cup, where their team lost to the
eventual champion, Spain, in the semifinals. Although it is difficult to win
the accolade without a major trophy, Mbappe made history when he overtook
Lionel Messi for the most all-time World Cup goals (22) in fewer games.
After claiming a
second straight Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain, Dembele has a
chance to retain the Ballon d’Or.
Kane had one of
his best seasons, scoring 73 goals for club and country and winning the
Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. Kane also led England to a third-place
finish at the World Cup.
Spain captain
Rodri, who claimed the award in 2024 and played an instrumental role in
midfield to help Spain secure its second World Cup title, was also included.
The 39-year-old
Messi, who has a record eight Ballon d’Or awards, was on the shortlist after
guiding Argentina to a runner-up finish at the World Cup and winning Major
League Soccer with Inter Miami. The other three Ballon d’Or winners still
active, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric, were not on the
list.
PSG dominates
Ballon d’Or list
Dembele was one
of nine PSG players – 10 including newly acquired Ferran Torres – nominated for
the men’s award, alongside Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian
Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha. Torres
scored Spain’s winner in the World Cup final.
In an interview
with France Football, Dembele said he expects the award to remain at PSG. Asked
to name his top three in no particular order, he cited PSG teammate
Kvaratskhelia, Kane and Mbappe. He also mentioned Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal,
Ruiz and Pacho, but did not include himself.
“I don’t think
the trophy is undecided. I think it will remain in the hands of a Paris
Saint-Germain player,” he said.
The other men’s nominees
include Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, as well as
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Italy, which did
not qualify for the World Cup, and the Netherlands and Germany had no
representatives. Only one player from Serie A, Lautaro Martínez of Inter Milan,
was selected.
There was no
goalkeeper nominated, ensuring Lev Yashin remains the only keeper to win the
coveted trophy (1963) for another year.
The Ballon d’Or
ceremony is moving from its traditional Paris home to London this year to mark
the 70th anniversary of the first award won by England great Stanley Matthews.
How the voting
system works
The Ballon d’Or
was created by France Football and has been awarded since 1956 for men, and
since 2018 for women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries
in the FIFA rankings for the men’s award and the top 50 FIFA-ranked countries
for the women’s award.
Each journalist,
one per country, selects players in ranked order with points attributed to each
position. The winner is the player who receives the most points.
Organisers say
the trophy is awarded based on three criteria, in order of importance: 1,
individual performances, decisive and impressive character; 2, collective
performances and titles won; 3, class and fair play. The performance period is
August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026 — the day of this year’s World Cup final.