The list of nominees for the “Ballon d’Or” award has been announced: Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG), Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Gianluigi Donnarumma, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius (Real Madrid), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern), Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), and Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen–Liverpool).

“Sportkritik” considers Yamal, Dembélé, and Donnarumma to be the favorites among these nominees. Yamal was one of the best players of last season and, with his outstanding performances for Barcelona, earned the title of Messi’s successor. Dembélé and Donnarumma, in addition to delivering excellent performances, played major roles in helping PSG win the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. It is assumed that the main battle will be between these three players. Although the other players are among the best of both the era and last season, they clearly lag behind this trio. Last season was especially successful for Wirtz and Palmer.

Yamal is also among the favorites for the Best Young Player award. His rivals in this competition will be his teammate Pau Cubarsí, Désiré Doué, João Neves (PSG), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Estevão (Chelsea), and Kenan Yıldız (Juventus).