PSG and Spain Dominate the Men's List
Ferran Torres, whose goal secured Spain's World Cup victory over Argentina in July, headlines the 30-man shortlist for the men's Ballon d'Or, revealed on Tuesday. The 26-year-old, who has since moved to Paris Saint-Germain, is one of six Spanish World Cup winners nominated, alongside 2024 laureate Rodri and last year's runner-up Lamine Yamal.[S1]
Torres also won La Liga with Barcelona in May but now teams up with last year's Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele at PSG. Dembele is one of nine PSG teammates on the list who have won the Champions League in each of the last two years. With Torres's arrival, that makes ten current PSG players in total on the list.[S1]
Among the PSG contingent, Fabian Ruiz is the only player to have won both the Champions League and the World Cup in 2026. Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a star of PSG's successful Champions League defense, is nominated alongside Portuguese midfield pair Vitinha and Joao Neves.[S1]
Messi Nominated Again, Ronaldo Left Out
Eight-time winner Lionel Messi received his 17th nomination, but his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo did not make the cut this time. Messi helped inspire an ill-disciplined Argentina to the World Cup final, where they managed only their first shot against Spain in almost 120 minutes of a one-sided final.[S1]
England captain Harry Kane, who won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, is included, as is his French teammate Michael Olise. Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham earned his nomination with an impressive World Cup for England, scoring seven goals, matching Erling Haaland's tally and beaten only by Messi (eight) and Kylian Mbappe (ten).[S1]
Mbappe is nominated after becoming the first player to win the World Cup golden boot a second time, while also topping the tournament's all-time scoring list. Yamal is also in contention for the Young Talent award, which he has won for the past two years.[S1]
Women's Award and International Representation
In the women's section, three-time winner Aitana Bonmati did not make the shortlist after breaking her leg midway through the season, but her former Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas, the 2021 and 2022 winner now with London City Lionesses, is included. Barcelona has several contenders for the women's award, including Putellas and Poland's Ewa Pajor, who scored twice in the 4-0 final victory over Lyon in the women's Champions League.[S1]
Three of the men's nominees play outside Europe: Messi with Inter Miami in MLS, and Sadio Mane and Julian Quinones in Saudi Arabia. The women's list is more global, featuring Zambian Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride), Mexican Scarlett Camberos, Malawian Temwa Chawinga, and American Rose Lavelle, among others.[S1]
Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who was a hero of Cape Verde's fairytale World Cup run, is on the goalkeeper list. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the London Palladium Theatre on October 26.[S1]
