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09/08 11:11 CDT Dembl, Kane and Mbapp headline shortlist for Ballon d'Or,
Putellas leads women's contenders
Dembl, Kane and Mbapp headline shortlist for Ballon d'Or, Putellas leads
women's contenders
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
AP Sports Writer
Last year's winner Ousmane Dembl, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbapp are among the
top contenders for the men's Ballon d'Or.
The 30 men's and 30 women's nominees were revealed by France Football magazine
on Tuesday, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on Oct. 26.
In the women's field, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Melchie
Dumornay are among the favorites to take over Aitana Bonmat. The winner of the
past three women's awards, Bonmat did not make the cut after missing most of
the season through injury. She returned at the end of Barcelona's
quadruple-winning season that included another Champions League title.
Dembl and Mbapp both played for France at the World Cup, where their team
lost to eventual champion Spain in the semifinals. Although it's difficult to
win the accolade without a major trophy, Mbapp made history when he overtook
Lionel Messi for the most all-time World Cup goals (22) in less games.
After claiming a second straight Champions League title with Paris
Saint-Germain, Dembl has a chance to retain the Ballon d'Or.
Kane had one of his best seasons, scoring 73 goals for club and country and
winning the Bundesliga 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. The other three Ballon d'Or
winners still active, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric, were
not in the list.
PSG dominates Dembl was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men's award, including Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha. In an interview with France Football, Dembl said he expects the award to remain at PSG. Asked to name his top three in no particular order, he cited PSG teammate Kvaratskhelia, Kane and Mbapp. He also mentioned Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Ruiz and 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 other men's nominees include Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, Ferran Torres --- who scored Spain's winner in the World Cup final --- Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Italy, which did not qualify for the World Cup, and the Netherlands and Germany had no representatives. Only one player from Serie A, Lautaro Martnez of Inter Milan, was selected. There was no goalkeeper nominated, ensuring Lev Yashin remains the only keeper to win the coveted trophy (1963) for another year. 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. ___ See AP's full soccer coverage here
PSG dominates Dembl was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men's award, including Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha. In an interview with France Football, Dembl said he expects the award to remain at PSG. Asked to name his top three in no particular order, he cited PSG teammate Kvaratskhelia, Kane and Mbapp. He also mentioned Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Ruiz and 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 other men's nominees include Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, Ferran Torres --- who scored Spain's winner in the World Cup final --- Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Italy, which did not qualify for the World Cup, and the Netherlands and Germany had no representatives. Only one player from Serie A, Lautaro Martnez of Inter Milan, was selected. There was no goalkeeper nominated, ensuring Lev Yashin remains the only keeper to win the coveted trophy (1963) for another year. 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. ___ See AP's full soccer coverage here
