With lower than every week till the winners of the Ballon d’Or awards are introduced, hypothesis is rising over who will declare this yr’s coveted prize within the star-studded males’s class. While veteran stars like Harry Kane, record-breaking winner Lionel Messi and teenage expertise Lamine Yamal are favourites, the award……
With lower than every week till the winners of the Ballon d’Or awards are introduced, hypothesis is rising over who will declare this yr’s coveted prize within the star-studded males’s class.
While veteran stars like Harry Kane, record-breaking winner Lionel Messi and teenage expertise Lamine Yamal are favourites, the award has been notoriously unpredictable.
Organisers say the trophy is awarded primarily based on three standards, so as of significance:
– Individual performances, decisive and spectacular character
– Collective performances and titles received
– Class and honest play
Shortlisted candidates shall be judged for his or her performances between August 3, 2025 and July 19, 2026 – the day of this yr’s World Cup last.
The 30-player shortlist options three former winners: eight-time winner and Argentinian icon Messi, holder Ousmane Dembele of France, and 2024 winner and Spanish midfielder Rodri.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a take a look at the international locations which have received essentially the most Ballon d’Or awards because the males’s prize was created in 1956.
Read Also: Yamal Makes Ballon d’Or History With Third Nomination Before 20
Argentina — 8
All of Argentina’s Ballon d’Or trophies have been received by one of many all-time soccer greats, Messi, who introduced his retirement from worldwide soccer in August after main his nation to complete runners-up on the World Cup and profitable the Major League Soccer title with Inter Miami.
The 39-year-old has clinched the award a file eight instances: 2009-2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
France — 8
Last yr’s winner, Dembele, took France’s tally to a file eight awards, received by six males spanning a number of generations.
Several teammates who helped lead France to fourth place on the World Cup be part of him on the shortlist: Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano.
Previous French winners embrace:
– Raymond Kopa (1958)
– Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985)
– Jean-Pierre Papin (1991)
– Zinedine Zidane (1998)
– Karim Benzema (2022)
– Ousmane Dembele (2025)
Portugal — 7
Portugal’s seven awards are courtesy of simply three males: Eusebio (1965), Luis Figo (2000), and five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who, together with Messi, has dominated the awards for the previous 20 years (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017).
Unlike Messi, nevertheless, Ronaldo has been excluded from the shortlist for a fourth consecutive yr. Other teammates who might give Portugal an eighth win are Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves and Vitinha.
Germany — 7
Germany final noticed a Ballon d’Or winner in 1996, courtesy of Matthias Sammer, however loved success within the years earlier than then. No German participant has made the shortlist this yr.
Previous winners are:
– Gerd Muller (1970)
– Franz Beckenbauer (1972, 1976)
– Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1980, 1981)
– Lothar Matthäus (1990)
– Matthias Sammer (1996)
Netherlands — 7
Similar to Germany, the Netherlands final noticed Ballon d’Or success within the Nineteen Nineties and doesn’t have any gamers shortlisted for the boys’s award.
The nation’s seven prizes have come courtesy of three Dutchmen:
– Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973, 1974)
– Ruud Gullit (1987)
– Marco van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992)
Brazil — 5
Football icon Ronaldo received Brazil’s first Ballon d’Or in 1997, after which the nation noticed 4 extra victories.
Previous Brazilian winners embrace:
– Ronaldo (1997, 2002)
– Rivaldo (1999)
– Ronaldinho (2005)
– Kaka (2007)
Players on the 2026 shortlist who might give Brazil its first Ballon d’Or in 20 years embrace Gabriel, Marquinhos and Vinicius Jr.
England — 5
As the award ceremony returns to England, so too do hopes for a Ballon d’Or trophy after Stanley Matthews received the inaugural accolade in 1956.
High hopes relaxation on English captain Kane, who has had certainly one of his finest seasons, scoring 73 targets for membership and nation and profitable the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. Kane additionally led England to a third-place end on the World Cup.
He is joined by Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham on the shortlist.
England’s earlier winners are:
– Stanley Matthews (1956)
– Bobby Charlton (1966)
– Kevin Keegan (1978, 1979)
– Michael Owen (2001)
Italy — 5
Italy’s 5 Ballons d’Or have come from 5 completely different gamers, with none prior to now 20 years.
Previous winners embrace:
– Omar Sivori (1961)
– Gianni Rivera (1969)
– Paolo Rossi (1982)
– Roberto Baggio (1993)
– Fabio Cannavaro (2006)
Spain — 4
Spain scooped up a handful of Ballon d’Or awards final yr and appears poised to repeat its triumph this yr following its World Cup victory.
Yamal, winner of final yr’s Kopa Trophy, is joined by teammates Pau Cubarsi (Best Young Player award on the World Cup), Marc Cucurella, Rodri (Golden Ball award on the World Cup), Fabian Ruiz and Ferran Torres.
Previous winners for Spain embrace:
– Alfredo Di Stefano (1957, 1959)
– Luis Suarez (1960)
– Rodri (2024)
