The Ballon d'Or defines its new owner. This Monday, football's main individual award will be handed out. The ceremony will take place in London, specifically at the Palladium Theatre, and will begin at 5 p.m. Chile time. It is the first time the awards ceremony is being held in the British capital. The change comes as part of the 70th anniversary of the prize created by France Football in 1956 and as a tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the first to win it. It had never before been awarded outside France.
While there are several categories, the one that draws all the attention is that of the best player of the season. There are 30 nominees in that contest. The main favorites this time are Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Rodri, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Erling Haaland. All of them have their arguments.
Kane arrives with 73 goals in 65 matches, while Mbappé and Haaland each have 58 goals. Olise stands out with his 35 assists, and Messi — the trophy's most frequent winner, with eight — has 45 goals and 30 assists. Dembélé will look to retain the recognition he earned in 2025, while Rodri, winner in 2024, adds to his candidacy his selection as the best player of the 2026 World Cup, which he won with the Spanish national team.
France Football's evaluation covers the period from August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026, including the World Cup hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. The winner is determined by …
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The Ballon d'Or defines its new owner. This Monday, football's top individual award will be handed out. The ceremony will take place in London, specifically at the Palladium Theatre, and will begin at 5 p.m. Chilean time. It is the first time the awards ceremony is held in the British capital. The change comes as part of the 70th anniversary of the award created by France Football in 1956 and as a tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the first to win it. It had never before been presented outside France. While there are several categories, the one that draws all the attention is that of the best player of the season. In that contest there are 30 nominees. The main favorites this time are Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Rodri, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Erling Haaland. All of them have their arguments. Kane arrives with 73 goals in 65 matches, while Mbappé and Haaland each recorded 58 goals. Olise stands out with his 35 assists, and Messi — the trophy's biggest winner, with eight — tallies 45 goals and 30 assists. Dembélé will look to retain the recognition he earned in 2025, while Rodri, winner in 2024, adds to his candidacy his selection as the best player of the 2026 World Cup, which he won with the Spanish national team. The France Football evaluation covers the period from August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026, including the World Cup hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. The winner is decided by a vote of 100 journalists, one from each country ranked among the top 100 of the FIFA ranking. Each professional ranks 10 candidates and assigns points. The favorites for the Ballon d'Or. The women's prizeIn the women's Ballon d'Or there are also 30 nominees. Among the candidates are Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor, Clàudia Pina, Caroline Graham Hansen, Mariona Caldentey, Alessia Russo, Khadija Shaw and Melchie Dumornay. Putellas, who moved from Barcelona to the London City Lionesses, is the only previous winner on the list, having won the award in 2021 and 2022. Pajor, Pina and Graham Hansen represent Barcelona, while Caldentey and Russo compete for Arsenal. The main absence is Aitana Bonmatí, winner of the previous three editions, who was left out after an injury that kept her off the pitch for much of the season. In this way, the award will have a new winner compared to last year. The women's award has been given since 2018, and its selection is carried out by 50 journalists, representing the top 50 countries in the women's FIFA ranking. Vozinha's express tripVozinha is nominated for the Yashin Trophy, the award for the best goalkeeper of the year. The Colo Colo goalkeeper is on a list of 10 candidates alongside Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano Martínez, Unai Simón, David Raya, Joan García, Yassine Bounou, Gregor Kobel, Édouard Mendy and Matvei Safonov. His attendance at the ceremony was in doubt due to the Cacique's match against Palestino, this Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at the Santa Laura stadium. However, Blanco y Negro adjusted the planning. Vozinha will start against Palestino and, once the match is over, will travel to London. He will be accompanied by Aníbal Mosa, president of the concessionaire. More awardsThe presentation of the Kopa Trophy, for the best footballers under 21, is also planned. In addition, the Gerd Müller Trophy will be awarded to the most outstanding strikers, while the Johan Cruyff Trophy will recognize the best coaches. The ceremony will also include the Sócrates Award, which recognizes charitable initiatives and social impact projects in football. In total, 13 awards will be handed out. El Clásico could be keyAlthough the Ballon d'Or covers the period through July, Spain's Clásico between Yamal's Barcelona and Mbappé's Real Madrid (this Sunday, 5 p.m.) stands out as a key element, at least from a media standpoint. Two favorites for the award will face each other 24 hours before the ceremony. NEWSLETTEREl DeportivoMonday, 8:45 AMA special selection with coverage and analysis of the most important sporting events of the weekend, by the Sports team of La Tercera. By signing up you are accepting the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies of La Tercera.