Ousmane Dembele, the forward for Paris Saint-Germain, is expected to win the men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday while Lamine Yamal, the star of Barcelona, is predicted to defeat Aitana Bonmati for the second consecutive women’s prize.
A glittering ceremony will take place at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris to announce the winners of an award that has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for a while.
Between 2008 and 2023, that duo jointly won the Ballon d’Or 13 times.
After leading Spain to glory at Euro 2024, Rodri captained them to the most prestigious individual award in football last year.
Dembele, 28, has emerged as the favorite among a list of nominees predominated by Champions League winners PSG despite Rodri’s absence from this year’s list after suffering an injury-hit campaign last year.
Mbappe On Target As Real Madrid Loses Espanyol READ ALSO
The PSG team that for the first time defeated Inter Milan 55-0 to claim the European title is one of the 30 nominees.
Desire Doue, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has since moved to Manchester City, are among them.
Dembele would, however, have the edge after a stellar season that left Kylian Mbappe’s departing team with 35 goals.
That contribution made it possible for PSG to also win the Club World Cup’s final off of the grid.
Dembele, the winger turned center-forward, had a spectacular campaign for the French club, and Dembele had an even more extraordinary campaign.
When Dembele was questioned about what it meant to be a leading contender for the award, Dembele responded, “It is nice after what was a wonderful season with PSG.”
“We will see what happens, but I do believe it’s true that I’m one of the favorites.”
Due to the severe weather in southern France, many of the PSG nominees will have to miss the ceremony. However, Dembele could attend because she was hurt.
Yamal, who is 18 at the time, stands out among the other nominees because he has become a superstar at Barcelona and is regarded as Messi’s replacement.
He recently returned from helping Spain win the European Championship glory with his recent victory at the Kopa Trophy for the best player under the age of 21 at the previous year’s Ballon d’Or gala.
Last season, Barcelona won La Liga and the Spanish Copa del Rey, but they lost in the Champions League semifinals to Inter. He scored 18 goals in 55 games in all competitions.
Yamal recently said, “I dream of winning lots, not just one Ballon d’Or.”
Bonmati or the Lionesses, who knows? –
Instead of being voted for over a calendar year as in the past, the Ballon d’Or is now decided on the basis of accomplishments from the previous season. Viktor Gyokeres, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Cole Palmer, and Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, the key players in Liverpool’s 2024-2025 Premier League triumph, are other notable nominees.
One year after Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony, Mbappe and Vinicius Junior were both on the list, upset that the latter had been overlooked for the prize.
One of the top 100 nations in the FIFA world rankings is chosen by a panel of journalists to win the ballon d’or.
The field appears wide open as Barcelona and Spain star Bonmati scores a treble in the top 50 for women.
Bonmati, 27, is a talented athlete who won the UEFA Women’s Euro in July.
However, Bonmati’s Barcelona also lost the Champions League final to Arsenal in May, and Spain lost on penalties to England in the same match.
There is no obvious standout from the England team that won at the Euros, which could benefit her or Alexia Putellas’ or her teammate’s, who is also a two-time Olympian.
Both Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton, the team’s goalkeeper, Alessia Russo, and Leah Williamson, who received the winning penalty, are nominated from that side.
Source: Channels TV
Leave a Reply