The 30-man shortlist for this year's Ballon d'Or has been officially announced. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who once claimed 13 Ballons d'Or combined, missed out due to their absence from Europe's top five leagues—signaling a new era in world football.
At club level, Paris Saint-Germain leads with 9 selections (Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Ruben Neves, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Achraf Hakimi, Fabián Ruiz, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia). Barcelona has 4 nominees (Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Pedri), while Real Madrid has 3 (Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham). Also included are 4 Liverpool players (Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister, Virgil van Dijk, Florian Wirtz), Premier League stars like Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Dominik Szoboszlai, Bayern's Harry Kane and Michael Olise, Bundesliga's Serhou Guirassy, and Serie A's Lautaro Martínez, Denzel Dumfries, and Scott McTominay.
Based on performances and trophies, the top 3 are likely Ousmane Dembélé, Lamine Yamal, and Cole Palmer. Dembélé led PSG to their first Champions League title last season, along with Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions, plus a Club World Cup runners-up finish. His 35 goals and 14 assists, including the Ligue 1 Golden Boot, make him the frontrunner—boosted by the Champions League's prestige.
Yamal guided Barcelona to the Champions League semi-finals, swept Real Madrid four times domestically (winning La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de España), with 18 goals and 22 assists. He also led Spain past Dembélé's France to the Nations League final, but his lack of a Champions League title may see him trail Dembélé.
Palmer starred for Chelsea: 18 goals and 13 assists last season, helping them win their first revamped Club World Cup (scoring 2 and assisting 1 in the 3-0 final win over PSG to take MVP), plus the Europa Conference League (named tournament's best player). He's a strong candidate for third.
Who's in your Ballon d'Or top 3?
