The great and the good of the footballing world have been pictured on the red carpet ahead of the glitzy Ballon d’Or[1] ceremony in Paris.
Lamine Yamal[2] was the first of the three favourites for the top prize to arrive at Théâtre de Châtelet. Video footage showed the Barcelona[3] star, 18, being accompanied by members of his family.
PSG[4]‘s Ousmane Dembele[5], also hoping to land the prestigious award, paired a black suit with a white shirt and sunglasses as he stopped for photos before entering the venue in the French capital.
Dembele attended the ceremony at the same time PSG took on Marseille in a crunch Ligue 1[6] clash, with the Frenchman unable to play because of a hamstring injury.
Diogo Jota[7]‘s widow Rute Cardoso was also spotted arriving for the event. Tributes are expected to be paid to her husband at the ceremony following his death at the age of 28 in July.
Virgil van Dijk[8] was among the early arrivals for the event capital, the Liverpool[9] captain being joined by his wife Rike Nooitdagt.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk arrived at the ceremony with his wife Rike Nooitdagt
Diogo Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso is also in attendance. Tributes are expected to be paid to the Liverpool star, who died at the age of 28 in July
Lamine Yamal, one of the contenders for the Ballon d’Or, pictured on the red carpet in Paris
Ousmane Dembele, who is vying with Yamal to win the Ballon d’Or, sported a pair of black sunglasses
Van Dijk’s Liverpool team-mate Alisson[10] is also in attendance with his partner Natalia Loewe, alongside Reds manager Arne Slot[11] and England boss Sarina Wiegman[12].
Lionesses Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo and Leah Williamson took a picture with their Arsenal[13] team-mates, with all three in the top 10 in the race for the Ballon d’Or Féminin.
It is not just players who caught the eye on the red carpet as popular broadcaster and presenter Kate Scott dazzled in a low-cut, silver sequin dress as she shared a kiss with her husband Malik.
Dembele, Yamal and Salah feature in the top 10 for the men’s prize, along with the likes of Cole Palmer and Kylian Mbappe.
Organisers gradually revealed the top 30 rankings earlier on Monday. Man City’s Erling Haaland has plummeted to 26th – a place ahead of Arsenal’s Declan Rice and two in front of Van Dijk.
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham finished in a surprise 23rd place, new Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres claimed 15th and Harry Kane was only deemed good enough for 13th.
The LaLiga giants are again boycotting the Ballon d’Or ceremony and will not be sending any representatives to Paris amid a rift with organisers after Rodri beat Vinicius Jr to last year’s top award.
Vincent Garcia, France Football’s editor-in-chief and reputedly the only man who knows who the winner is, explained how the recipient is chosen.
Presenter Kate Scott and her boxing trainer husband Malik shared a kiss as they stopped for pictures at the event
Van Dijk’s Liverpool team-mate Alisson is also in attendance with his partner Natalia Loewe
Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres finished 15th in the men’s rankings after his superb year for Sporting Lisbon
‘I’m the only one who knows the Ballon d’Or winner,’ he told Telefoot.
‘The criteria to win this award are clear: individual brilliance, decisive and unforgettable performances, trophies lifted, plus fair play and conduct on and off the pitch.’
An international jury of journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries determines the winner by vote.
References
- ^ Ballon d’Or (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Lamine Yamal (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Barcelona (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ PSG (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Ousmane Dembele (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Ligue 1 (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Diogo Jota (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Virgil van Dijk (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Liverpool (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Alisson (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Arne Slot (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Sarina Wiegman (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Arsenal (www.dailymail.co.uk)