Ballon d’Or nominees revealed: Who are the favourites to take home the award? | OneFootball

PSG’s Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal are among the favourites nominated for the prestigious Men’s Ballon d’Or award, which will be named on September 22 in Paris.

The Ballon d’Or is an annual award presented by France Football since 1956, designed to honour the player to have performed the best throughout the last season.

Last year’s recipient of the award was Manchester City’s Rodri, who was recognised for his exceptional performances throughout the season for both his club and the Spain national team.

Here are some of the main contenders nominated for the award:

Ousmane Dembele (PSG)

Dembele had the best season of his professional career, securing a treble with PSG by winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Champions League.

The 28-year-old played a pivotal role in PSG’s triumphs, scoring 32 goals and providing 12 assists across all competitions.

Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)

The Barcelona and Spain star continued to shine and is among the favourites for both the Kopa Trophy and the Ballon d’Or.

Yamal guided Barcelona through to their La Liga triumph over Real Madrid, contributing with nine goals and 13 assists in the league.

At only 18, the teenager has thrived under pressure, and is hoping to build on domestic success this season and lead Barcelona one step further in their pursuit of winning the Champions League for a sixth time.

Vitinha (PSG)

The former Wolves midfielder enjoyed a stellar campaign, playing a key role in all of PSG’s successes while also lifting the UEFA Nations League with Portugal.

The 25-year-old contributed seven goals and three assists, but it was his commanding defensive performances that provided the stability in midfield for the French giants.

Raphinha (Barcelona)

The Brazil international was prolific in front of goal, netting 31 times across all competitions.

The 28-year-old has thrived playing on the left, forming an effective partnership with Robert Lewandowski and Yamal in Barcelona’s attack.

While the former Leeds man is not the favourite to pick up the award, his sublime campaign has him towards the top.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

With 47 goal contributions for Liverpool in the Premier League, Salah still remains as one of the faces of the Premier League.

The 33-year-old was a monumental factor in the Reds winning the league in Arne Slot’s maiden season in charge, consistently showcasing his quality throughout the campaign as they finished ten points clear of Arsenal.

The full list of nominees

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembele (PSG), Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Desire Doue (PSG), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Scott McTominay (Napoli), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Joao Neves (PSG), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Pedri (Barcelona), Raphinha (Barcelona), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Fabian Ruiz (PSG), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid), Vitinha (PSG), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)