Le Parisien published an article covering the Ballon d’Or race. Voices across football circles backing Paris Saint‑Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to win the Ballon d’Or keep growing, including those from Michel Platini, Toni Kroos and Unai Emery. In addition, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé are also strong contenders.
This is set to be one of the most wide‑open votes in the history of the France Football Ballon d’Or, the top individual honour founded by the French magazine back in 1956. The 30‑player shortlist will be unveiled on September 8, before 100 jury members begin one month of voting starting September 12.
The winner will be revealed in London on October 26. The final margin may not be razor‑thin, yet the race is expected to heat up fiercely among the following leading candidates (listed alphabetically): Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint‑Germain), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint‑Germain), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Rodri (Manchester City, now transferred to Barcelona) and Lamine Yamal (Barcelona). The trophy is highly unlikely to go to anyone outside this eight‑man group — an unprecedentedly large pool of contenders. Each candidate holds solid arguments for victory, yet every one carries respective weaknesses, making this edition full of suspense.
For Paris Saint‑Germain, their hopes of retaining the Ballon d’Or have doubled thanks to Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, even though Fabián Ruiz will also feature on the 30‑man shortlist. In fact, three Paris players alongside Kylian Mbappé will grace the cover of France Football magazine on September 12, accompanied by four separate exclusive interviews. Real Madrid has made its decision to push the France national team captain Kylian Mbappé as its candidate, instead of Jude Bellingham.
Through this three‑player cover feature, Paris Saint‑Germain first highlights that the defending champion and its collective spirit stand out in this race — a point Luis Enrique also reiterated at his Thursday press conference.
“For me, players from Paris Saint‑Germain deserve the Ballon d’Or. Because we have everything. We have won the Champions League. Fabián Ruiz also won the World Cup. Ousmane Dembélé is the defending winner… For me, the winner should be a Paris player,” said Luis Enrique.
He did not name names, but he was referring to the Champions League, whose Player of the Tournament award went to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Ballon d’Or selects the world’s best player based on three criteria: individual performances, collective achievements, plus the player’s character and spirit of fair play. The European champion’s number‑7 satisfies all three requirements. Figures from across football speak out in his favour nearly every single day.
Ever since the end of the World Cup and the start of the new season, Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery, though Spanish, has been a vocal advocate for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (12th place in the 2025 rankings), as has Germany’s 2014 World Cup winner Toni Kroos. Frenchman Samir Nasri shared the same view on Canal+ last Sunday. The show featured guest Michel Platini, three‑time Ballon d’Or winner and football icon. The former number‑10 also voiced his support for the Paris winger, who delivered decisive displays in every Champions League fixture starting from the second leg of the play‑offs against Monaco.
In the Champions League final versus Arsenal, he won a penalty that helped Paris Saint‑Germain draw level at 1‑1 before the penalty shoot‑out. Luis Fernández, a hero alongside Platini at Euro 1984, also name‑checked the ex‑Napoli man when asked recently. “I cast my vote for Khvicha in recognition of his Champions League crown and his extraordinary season,” stated the former Paris Saint‑Germain manager.
Compared with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane’s supporters keep a far lower profile. Pep Guardiola, currently on holiday, backed Harry Kane during a Sky Sports interview, citing that “he makes his team better”.
Like Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembélé holds certain advantages having already claimed this supreme individual honour. He remains fresh in voters’ minds. What is more, he is the defending title holder. He scored in every Champions League match from the second leg of the quarter‑finals onwards and reached the semi‑finals of the World Cup, making him a compelling candidate.
Yet he may not compare to Khvicha — whose substitute appearance turned the tide against Chelsea, whose long‑range sprint goal arrived against Liverpool, and whose burst of pace in Munich set up an assist for Dembélé. Those moments may prove more memorable than Dembélé’s highlights.
He still needs to fend off competition from Kylian Mbappé, but above all, from Real Madrid. This “Ballon d’Or factory” has swung into action. José Mourinho has begun laying groundwork; he ruled out prospects for Paris or Spanish players to win, and instead suggested handing the Ballon d’Or to Luis Enrique or Luis de la Fuente rather than their players — a clever tactic to dodge the core subject.
In his eyes, there exists only one plausible winner: Kylian Mbappé, who made history this summer by becoming the all‑time top scorer in World Cup history, surpassing Lionel Messi. Paris Saint‑Germain are well aware they stand on the brink of securing a rare honour: back‑to‑back Ballon d’Or winners. They will soon have to choose between Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia without alienating either, in order to finally lift this coveted trophy.
