Latest news with #BallondOr
CNA
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Spain v France not a Ballon d'Or decider, says Yamal
Spain's Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal has said the Ballon d'Or award won't be decided by performances on Thursday when he and France's Paris St Germain forward Ousmane Dembele take part in the Nations League Final Four. Spain and France meet in Stuttgart for a place in the final, with the winners facing either Germany or Portugal who play in the other semi-final on Wednesday. Yamal and Dembele have been crucial for club and country this season and the prestigious golden ball trophy could end up with one of them in September during the ceremony in Paris. But the Barca striker challenged a journalist who asked whether Thursday's clash would be decisive for the voting. "If you had to give the Ballon d'Or, who would you give it to - the best player of the year or the one who wins on Thursday?" Yamal told Spanish broadcaster Cadena COPE on Monday. "I'm confident we'll win on Thursday, but whether we win or not, I'd vote for the player of the year because if something happens to me or Dembele on Thursday, who do you vote for? One who plays on Sunday? "I would give it to the best player of the year, and I'd keep it for myself." The competition is tough between the duo, with Dembele winning a Ligue 1, French Cup and Champions League treble, while the 17-year-old Yamal won LaLiga, the Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup. Dembele has scored 35 goals in all competitions for club and country this season, while Yamal has netted 19. The nominees for the 2025 edition of the Ballon d'Or award, which covers August 1-July 31, will be announced at the start of August, with the ceremony taking place on September 22.
Reuters
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Spain v France not a Ballon d'Or decider, says Yamal
June 2 (Reuters) - Spain's Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal has said the Ballon d'Or award won't be decided by performances on Thursday when he and France's Paris St Germain forward Ousmane Dembele take part in the Nations League Final Four. Spain and France meet in Stuttgart for a place in the final, with the winners facing either Germany or Portugal who play in the other semi-final on Wednesday. Yamal and Dembele have been crucial for club and country this season and the prestigious golden ball trophy could end up with one of them in September during the ceremony in Paris. But the Barca striker challenged a journalist who asked whether Thursday's clash would be decisive for the voting. "If you had to give the Ballon d'Or, who would you give it to - the best player of the year or the one who wins on Thursday?" Yamal told Spanish broadcaster Cadena COPE on Monday. "I'm confident we'll win on Thursday, but whether we win or not, I'd vote for the player of the year because if something happens to me or Dembele on Thursday, who do you vote for? One who plays on Sunday? "I would give it to the best player of the year, and I'd keep it for myself." The competition is tough between the duo, with Dembele winning a Ligue 1, French Cup and Champions League treble, while the 17-year-old Yamal won LaLiga, the Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup. Dembele has scored 35 goals in all competitions for club and country this season, while Yamal has netted 19. The nominees for the 2025 edition of the Ballon d'Or award, which covers August 1-July 31, will be announced at the start of August, with the ceremony taking place on September 22.
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Spain v France not a Ballon d'Or decider, says Lamine Yamal
Spain's Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal has said the Ballon d'Or award won't be decided by performances on Thursday when he and France's Paris St Germain forward Ousmane Dembele take part in the Nations League Final Four. Spain and France meet in Stuttgart for a place in the final, with the winners facing either Germany or Portugal who play in the other semifinal on Wednesday. Yamal and Dembele have been crucial for club and country this season and the prestigious golden ball trophy could end up with one of them in September during the ceremony in Paris. But the Barca striker challenged a journalist who asked whether Thursday's clash would be decisive for the voting. "If you had to give the Ballon d'Or, who would you give it to - the best player of the year or the one who wins on Thursday?" Yamal told Spanish broadcaster Cadena COPE on Monday. "I'm confident we'll win on Thursday, but whether we win or not, I'd vote for the player of the year because if something happens to me or Dembele on Thursday, who do you vote for? One who plays on Sunday? "I would give it to the best player of the year, and I'd keep it for myself." The competition is tough between the duo, with Dembele winning a Ligue 1, French Cup and Champions League treble, while the 17-year-old Yamal won LaLiga, the Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup. Dembele has scored 35 goals in all competitions for club and country this season, while Yamal has netted 19. The nominees for the 2025 edition of the Ballon d'Or award, which covers August 1-July 31, will be announced at the start of August, with the ceremony taking place on September 22.
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
FC Barcelona Ace Lamine Yamal: Playing For Real Madrid Is Impossible
While on international duty for Spain, FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal said that doing a Luis ... More Figo-esque switch across the divide of El Clasico to Real Madrid is 'impossible'. While on international duty for Spain, FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal said that doing a Luis Figo-esque switch across the divide of El Clasico to Real Madrid is 'impossible'. Lamine has been at Barca since the age of seven, when he was first scouted by its world famous La Masia academy. Breaking through to the first team in 2023, he has since become a Ballon d'Or candidate and followed up on a January promise by renewing his contract until 2031 last week. Though he is a Culer through and through, there have sometimes been concerns that Lamine might follow in Figo's footsteps and echo the Ballon d'Or winner's 2000 switch to Madrid considering his father is a Los Blancos fan. Asked about the prospect by COPE while on international duty for Spain, with whom he won the Euros in 2024, Lamine said that it was 'impossible' and that anyone worried about a potential transfer that would send shockwaves through football should be forgotten about. The 17-year-old also stated that 'I don't think about winning the Ballon d'Or'. 'I think about enjoying myself, playing well and if it has to come, it will come' he added. Reflecting briefly on Barca's domestic treble-winning season where it also reached the Champions League finals, Lamine said: 'We are improving, but we have to believe that we are the best. When Real Madrid lost to Arsenal, people thought they could come back. And when we drew against Inter, people doubted us. That is what must be changed.' A clearly competitive animal who often plays like he has a point to prove, Lamien revealed that his friends 'send me bad things on TikTok 20 minutes before the games, [because] they know that motivates me'. 'Against France, I was sleeping on the bus and my friend called me to say: 'Remember what Adrien Rabiot said [about] you', and I said: 'Yes, I remember''. Lamine's statements will come as a comfort to Culers, with his latest FC Barcelona contract set to keep the number 19 in Catalonia until he is at least 23. Before his current terms' expiry in 2031, however, expect President Joan Laporta or whoever is in power to try and tie him down further.
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
How is the Ballon d'Or winner decided?
The Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious individual prize in football, is awarded annually by France Football magazine to the player perceived to be the best in the winner is chosen through a dual system of voting. Firstly, journalists from France Football and fellow French publication L'Equipe work together to produce a combined list of 30 official nominees, based on players' performances in the previous season. This initial selection process sometimes also includes a small number of former one football journalist from each of the top 100 Fifa-ranked nations is invited to cast votes for their top 10 players in order from that shortlist. The 10 players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point based on all journalists have submitted their top 10s, points are tallied and the winner of the Ballon d'Or is the player who accrued the most points in the voting, while the rest are ranked from second to players are tied on points, they are separated by the number of first place votes they received. If they are still level, the number of second place votes are used, and so taking part in the vote are encouraged to consider three factors:Individual performances, decisive and impressive characterTeam performances and achievementsClass and fair play Has the Ballon d'Or ever worked in a different way? The way in which the Ballon d'Or is awarded has changed significantly since it was first created in 1995, only European footballers were eligible for the award. Then, for the next 12 years, players of any origin playing for a club in Europe were eligible. Only from 2007 onwards have all players worldwide been 2007 and 2015, the captain and manager of each Fifa-recognised international team was invited to participate in the final vote, but both prior to that period and since then, only journalists have 2010 to 2015, Fifa collaborated with France Football on the award, which was known as the Fifa Ballon d' now give out their own separate prize, called the Fifa Best player award, but its lack of long-term history means the Ballon d'Or is generally considered more to 2022, voting was based on a player's performances over the course of a calendar year – comprising half of two separate seasons in most elite leagues – before being changed to encompass a single full season. What about the women's Ballon d'Or? The women's award, known as the Ballon d'or Feminine, was first created in has been won twice by Spain internationals Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, as well as once each by Norway's Ada Hegerbeg and the USA's Megan is a slight nuance in the way the women's award is voted for - the same system of pre-selection followed by a jury of journalists is used, but only 50 journalists from the top-ranked nations are invited to take part, rather than 100. Who has won the most Ballon d'Or trophies? Having taken home the trophy eight times, Lionel Messi has won more the Ballon d'Or more often than any other rival Cristiano Ronaldo is second with five titles, while Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten won three di Stefano, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Ronaldo Nazario – each with two - are the only others to have won the men's Ballon d'Or more than once. Why is the Ballon d'Or sometimes criticised? The awarding of the Ballon d'Or sometimes draws criticism from fans and the past, complaints have focused on the fact that the award has historically favoured attacking midfielders and forwards over more defensive players. Only two centre-backs (Beckenbauer and Fabio Cannavaro) and one goalkeeper (Lev Yashin) have ever won the jury's tendency to vote for players whose teams have won the biggest prizes in the game that year, like the World Cup and Champions League, has also caused controversy in the past. Some believe collective achievement should not impact voting, and that a player who has performed highly as an individual should not miss out because his team was less the fact that the main award is voted form by journalists, rather than players, coaches, or ex-professionals, has occasionally led to for some fans, the concept of an individual award in a team sport renders the Ballon d'Or unimportant. When will the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner be announced? The 2025 Ballon d'Or winner will be announced on 22 September 2025 during a ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in central Paris.A variety of other awards are given out during the ceremony, including:The Kopa Trophy - awarded to the best player below the age of 2021, voting for this award is performed by previous Ballon d'Or winners based on a shortlist of Yashin Trophy – awarded to the best goalkeeper, voting for this award is performed by journalists based on a shortlist of Coach of the Year trophy - awarded to the best manager, voting for this award is performed by journalists based on a Club of the Year trophy - awarded to the best team, voting for this award is performed by journalists based on a shortlist. Who are the Ballon d'Or contenders in 2025? The following players are considered among the main contenders for the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or, based on their performances since 1 August 2024 with one more international window of fixtures and the Club World Cup before 31 July Dembele (Paris St-Germain/France, forward, 28)Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy, goalkeeper, 26)Desire Doue (PSG/France, forward, 19)Kvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG/Georgia, forward, 24)Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/France, forward, 26)Lautaro Martinez (Inter/Argentina, forward, 27)Pedri (Barcelona, midfielder, 22)Raphinha (Barcelona/Brazil, forward, 28)Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/Egypt, forward, 32)Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain, forward, 17) What is Ask Me Anything? This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you team explores everything you need to know and calls upon a network of contacts including our experts and answer your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and go behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting coverage spans the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio. More questions answered... Why are 1bn euro release clauses becoming more common?When are the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures released?Who has qualified for the 2025-26 Champions League?Why are footballers allowed to chew gum?How are football league positions decided if teams are level on points?
