Ousmane Dembélé took home the award in 2025 after a stellar year.
The Ballon d’Or is one of the most coveted individual prizes in all of sport, recognizing the best footballers from the past 12 months. Usually a clear favorite has emerged for the prize, but 2026 could be a little different as there’s a few players who will have genuine belief that this year is their year.
The shortlists for the main Ballon d’Or award, the Women’s Ballon d’Or, the Kopa Trophy and a host of other awards are being revealed this Tuesday—follow along with Sports Illustrated as the players in contention are confirmed.
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