Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé is widely tipped to hold off Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal and win the men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday, as the game’s elite gather at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The award, for so long dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, appears set for another changing of the guard after last year’s triumph for Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
With Rodri not in contention to retain the sport’s most coveted individual honour after an injury-interrupted campaign, Dembélé has emerged as the favourite from a nominees list heavily populated by PSG players. Nine members of the side that lifted the Champions League, routing Inter Milan five to nil in the final, are among the 30, including Desire Doué, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha, as well as goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, now at Manchester City.
Dembélé stands apart after a magnificent season in which he filled the void left by Kylian Mbappé. Converted from wide man to central spearhead, the 28 year old struck 35 goals as PSG completed a domestic clean sweep and reached the Club World Cup final. It was a breakout campaign for a player whose previous best haul had been 14 for Barcelona in 2018 to 2019. “It is nice after what was a wonderful season with PSG,” he told Le Monde, admitting he is among the favourites while calling the trophy “the individual Holy Grail”.
Yamal, still only 18, headlines the chasing pack. The Barcelona winger has accelerated into stardom and is viewed by many at the club as the natural heir to Messi. Fresh from winning last year’s Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player and helping Spain to European Championship glory, he scored 18 goals in 55 appearances as Barcelona won La Liga and the Copa del Rey, although they fell to Inter in the Champions League semi-finals. “I do not dream of winning one Ballon d’Or, I dream of winning lots,” he said recently.
The voting system now assesses performances across the previous season rather than the calendar year. Other prominent nominees include Viktor Gyökeres, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Cole Palmer and Liverpool’s title-winning pillars Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior are also on the list, a year after Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony in protest at Vinícius missing out.
On the women’s side, Aitana Bonmatí’s bid for a third straight Ballon d’Or faces a more open field. The 27-year-old was the player of the tournament at UEFA Women’s Euro in July, yet Spain lost the final on penalties to England, and Barcelona were beaten by Arsenal in the Champions League final. That mixed picture could aid Bonmatí, or even teammate and two-time former winner Alexia Putellas, particularly as there is no single standout from England’s Euro-winning team. Lucy Bronze, goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, Alessia Russo, captain Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly, who scored the decisive penalty, are all among the nominees.
Ballon d’Or winners are chosen by a panel of journalists, one from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA world rankings for the men’s award. The women’s prize is decided by a panel drawn from the top 50 nations. All eyes now turn to Paris to see whether Dembélé’s stellar season will be crowned with the game’s ultimate individual accolade, or whether the night will belong to the teenager who is chasing him fast.
