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Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe headline shortlist for Ballon d'Or; Putellas leads women's contenders
Dembélé, Kane and Mbappé headline shortlist for Ballon d'Or, Putellas leads women's contenders
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Last year's winner Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé 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 Bonmatí. The winner of the past three women's awards, Bonmatí 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.
Dembélé and Mbappé 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, Mbappé 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, Dembélé has a chance to retain the Ballon d'Or.
Kane had one his best seasons, scoring 73 goals for club and country and winning the Bundesligae 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.
In an interview with France Football, Dembélé said he expects the award to remain at PSG. Asked to name his top three in no particular order, he cited PSG teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane and Mbappé. He also mentioned Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz and Willian 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 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 systemThe 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.
