Yamal, Mbappé, Kane, Messi line up for today’s Ballon d’Or

MANCHESTER, England (AP):

The Ballon d’Or winners will be announced today, with a new generation of football stars led by Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé ready to stake their claim to a trophy that, for so long, was defined by the personal rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi, however, remains in contention for football’s top individual honour at age 39 following his outstanding performances at the World Cup. And while it feels as though the game is entering the Yamal-Mbappé era, Harry Kane’s extraordinary goalscoring exploits could yet delay that changing of the guard for another year.

The women’s award, won by Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati in each of the past three years, will have a new recipient this time. Bonmati is not on the shortlist after breaking her leg in December.

Two-time winner Alexia Putellas is the favourite to lift the trophy for a third time.

Here’s what to know about the Ballon d’Or.

Where and when is the Ballon d’Or ceremony?

The ceremony will be held at the London Palladium today at 3 p.m. Jamaica time.

The favourites to win the Ballon d’Or

Of the 30 players shortlisted for the men’s award, four names have dominated the conversation.

Yamal, Mbappé, Kane and Messi are the leading contenders to claim the prize won last year by Ousmane Dembélé.

Yamal has been named the world’s best young player in each of the past two years and, after helping Spain win the World Cup and Barcelona secure the Spanish title, appears well positioned to capture his first Ballon d’Or.

Mbappé was long expected to establish himself as the world’s best player, having won the World Cup with France at age 19 in 2018. Yet, if anything, he has slipped down the Ballon d’Or rankings in recent years, finishing seventh last year.

He enjoyed another outstanding individual campaign and even became the highest scorer in World Cup history, but neither Real Madrid nor France claimed major honours. That could count against him.

The opposite could be said of Kane, who has continued to rewrite scoring records in Germany while winning trophies with Bayern Munich. He was also among England’s standout performers at the World Cup as the team secured third place.

Messi just won’t go away

Many expected Messi to drift from the Ballon d’Or conversation after moving to MLS and Inter Miami, but the Argentine, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, has once again shown his enduring influence.

He inspired Miami to their first MLS Cup title last season and then rolled back the years by leading Argentina to within one victory of consecutive World Cup triumphs.

Argentina ultimately fell short against Spain in the final, but Messi’s brilliance once again helped illuminate the tournament.

Putellas back on top

Putellas is the favourite for the women’s award after returning to top form to help Barcelona win the Champions League and Spanish title before joining London City Lionesses.

The Spain star, who endured a serious ligament injury and then watched Bonmati emerge as the world’s leading female player, now has the opportunity to confirm her return to the summit of the game by lifting the trophy again, albeit in the absence of the injured Bonmati.

Leading contenders include Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw and Barcelona’s Claudia Pina.

How the Ballon d’Or is judged

Ultimately, the award is decided by opinion, with one journalist from each of FIFA’s top 100-ranked nations casting a vote. The criteria include individual and team performances, “decisive and impressive character” and “class and fair play.”

Each journalist selects 10 names from the 30 nominees in descending order. Points are awarded on a scale ranging from 15 for a first-place vote to one for 10th place.

The player with the highest overall total wins the Ballon d’Or.

Tie-breakers are decided by the number of first-place votes received, followed by second-place votes, and so on.