Dembélé, Kane and Mbappé headline shortlist for Ballon d’Or, Putellas leads women’s contenders

After claiming a second straight Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain, Dembélé has a chance to retain the Ballon d’Or.

Kane had one his best seasons, scoring 73 goals for club and country and winning the Bundesligae with Bayern Munich. Kane also led England to a third-place finish at the World Cup.

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.

In an interview with France Football, Dembélé said he expects the award to remain at PSG. Asked to name his top three in no particular order, he cited PSG teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane and Mbappé. He also mentioned Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz and Willian 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 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.

The voting system

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. 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.

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Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Dembélé, Kane and Mbappé headline shortlist for Ballon d’Or, Putellas leads women’s contenders

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