Nasser Al-Khelaifi says he would choose one of his own players for the Ballon d'Or: Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, or Fabian Ruiz. Lamine Yamal leads the odds at 45%.
Who will succeed Ousmane Dembélé? On October 26th, we will know the next Ballon d'Or winner, and the Frenchman is among the favorites. The same is true for Lamine Yamal, who won the World Cup with Spain, and Harry Kane, who was brilliant with Bayern Munich. Fabian Ruiz also has a strong case, having won the Ballon d'Or with La Roja and the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain.
With the Ballon d'Or ceremony approaching, everyone is weighing in. On Wednesday, during a press conference in Denmark on the sidelines of the European Club Association congress, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi addressed the hot topic.
The PSG president began by mentioning his former player, Kylian Mbappé. "You're going to get me into trouble with the other clubs. I have great respect for all players like Kylian (Mbappé) or Yamal. They are exceptional players. I know Kylian very well, of course. He's an incredible, talented player, and certainly one of the best in the world."
After mentioning Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi focused mainly on his own players, whom he believes are among the top favorites. "I would definitely choose one of my own players. We have three: Dembélé, (Khvicha) Kvaratskhelia, and also Fabián Ruiz. Fabián Ruiz is the only one to have won every trophy. So I think Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia, and Fabián Ruiz deserve it because they've won everything. I think they played very well; they were fantastic."
Who Wins the Ballon d'Or? Lamine Yamal Leads the Race
Only 26 days remain before we find out who will win, but a clear trend is emerging. According to Polymarket, Lamine Yamal is the strongest contender for the Ballon d'Or at 45%, while Harry Kane has a 42% chance.
The young Spanish striker, who finished second last year, could finally win the coveted prize, unless Kylian Mbappé pulls off a surprise, coming off a phenomenal season statistically with Real Madrid (42 goals) and a stellar World Cup performance with 10 goals.
Elsewhere, Fabian Ruiz has made his case for the 2026 Ballon d'Or after winning the Champions League with PSG and the World Cup with Spain.
“I’m very happy with this season and what I’ve achieved; feeling important, both at PSG and with the national team, means a lot to me. It’s true that the Ballon d’Or is a wonderful award, a trophy that every player dreams of winning. I’m delighted that people are talking about me and that my work is being recognized. Now, I’m going to try to rank as high as possible and… why not dream about it?” he told AS.
