Yamal v PSG: Ballon d'Or backdrop to Champions League showdown
Next week the winner of the most prestigious individual award in football will be announced at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, and some of the leading contenders for the prize will be on the same pitch on Tuesday when Paris Saint-Germain host Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. In the home camp, there is a remarkable total of 10 players among the 30 nominees, including last year's laureate Ousmane Dembele.
Facing up to them, Barcelona have three of their own candidates, with last year's runner-up Lamine Yamal and 2024 winner Rodri along with defender Pau Cubarsi, another member of Spain's triumphant World Cup side. The battle for the Ballon d'Or gives an edge to this game that might otherwise be lacking, given the relatively limited stakes for these two powerhouses in the new league phase format of Europe's elite club competition.
The individual prize to recognise the standout player of each season does not carry the same weight or significance everywhere, but it is a major talking point in France - it was created by France Football magazine in the 1950s - and in Spain where Barcelona and Real Madrid campaign loudly for their candidates. In Madrid they are backing Kylian Mbappe.
He has been making his own case in public, as has Yamal, the 19-year-old winger who starred as Barcelona won La Liga and then won the World Cup with Spain. "I think all those who watch football understand the argument in my favour.
I go out onto the pitch, I have fun, and I play well," Yamal told French sports daily L'Equipe recently. "Fortunately I have also won a lot of titles with Barca and in addition to that I won the most important title of all, the World Cup.
But beyond that I think my way of playing is my strongest argument and what makes me different." The voting by a jury of journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings is only based on last season, but Yamal has already made a formidable start to this campaign and scored a stunning goal in Barcelona's 5-2 weekend win at Betis in La Liga. Not that PSG, who are going for a third consecutive Champions League title this season, are scared of him.
"I wouldn't say we are afraid," insisted PSG midfielder Vitinha on Monday. "He is one of the best players in the world.
It is always interesting to play against these types of players, but not just him. We are facing a great team, not only Lamine.
- Vitinha, the 26-year-old Portuguese playmaker, came third in the 2025 Ballon d'Or ranking."