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PARIS: Last year\u2019s winner Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 are among the top contenders for the men\u2019s Ballon d\u2019Or.<\/p>\n
The 30 men\u2019s and 30 women\u2019s nominees were revealed by France Football magazine on Tuesday, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on Oct. 26.<\/p>\n
In the women\u2019s field, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Melchie Dumornay are among the favorites. Aitana Bonmat\u00ed, 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\u2019s quadruple-winning season that included another Champions League title.<\/p>\n
Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 and Mbapp\u00e9 both played for France at the World Cup, where their team lost to eventual champion Spain in the semifinals. Although it\u2019s difficult to win the accolade without a major trophy, Mbapp\u00e9 made history when he overtook Lionel Messi for the most all-time World Cup goals (22), in fewer games.<\/p>\n
After claiming a second straight Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 has a chance to retain the Ballon d\u2019Or.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Spain captain Rodri, who claimed the award in 2024 and played an instrumental role in midfield to help Spain secure their second World Cup title, was also included.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old Messi, who has a record eight Ballon d\u2019Or 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\u2019Or winners still active, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric, were not in the list.<\/p>\n
PSG dominate<\/p>\n
Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 was one of nine PSG players \u2014 10 including newly acquired Ferran Torres \u2014 nominated for the men\u2019s award, alongside Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha. Torres scored Spain\u2019s winner in the World Cup final.<\/p>\n
In an interview with France Football, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 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 Mbapp\u00e9. He also mentioned Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Ruiz and Pacho, but did not include himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think the trophy is undecided. I think it will remain in the hands of a Paris Saint-Germain player,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The other men\u2019s nominees include Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, as well as Manchester City striker.<\/p>\n
Italy, which did not qualify for the World Cup, and the Netherlands and Germany had no representatives. Only one player from Serie A, Lautaro Mart\u00ednez of Inter Milan, was selected.<\/p>\n
There was no goalkeeper nominated, ensuring Lev Yashin remains the only keeper to win the coveted trophy (1963) for another year.<\/p>\n
The Ballon d\u2019Or 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.<\/p>\n
The voting system<\/p>\n
The Ballon d\u2019Or 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\u2019s award and the top 50 FIFA-ranked countries for the women\u2019s award.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Organizers 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 Aug. 3, 2025 to July 19 \u2014 the day of this year\u2019s World Cup final.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n