BALLON D'OR
Messi vs. Mbappe Part II: World Cup stars and clubmates chase Ballon d’Or
Lionel Messi finally has something Kylian Mbappé already had with a World Cup winners’ medal. Now Mbappé wants what Messi has won many times: the Ballon d’Or.
After their fascinating duel in a wild World Cup final, the tournament’s best player Messi and its top scorer Mbappé are firm front-runners to win the next men’s Ballon d’Or.
Call it Messi vs. Mbappé part II, and it continues Wednesday when the Paris Saint-Germain teammates face Angers in a French league game. Messi was given an extended break back home in Argentina after the World Cup, but has resumed full training and PSG coach Christophe Galtier hopes he’ll be ready to play.
Because they play for the same team, their rivalry could intensify over the rest of this season.
The 35-year-old Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or trophies given to the best player in Europe. Only five Frenchmen — including Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema — have won it but the 24-year-old Mbappé has never been on the podium.
Mbappe made his goals clear while at the ceremony when Benzema won: “For me, of course it’s an objective to win one or many of them. But of course there’s a process to reach that. I think I’m on the right track.”
A challenger this time could be prolific Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, but he didn’t play at the World Cup — let alone star in it — after Norway failed to qualify.
Mbappé won the 2018 World Cup with France when he was just 19. Messi waited agonizingly long to get his hands on the Jules Rimet trophy, losing in the 2014 final. He did so in style last month, when Argentina beat France to win its third World Cup title in arguably the most intense final in the tournament’s 92-year history.
Messi’s two goals in the final capped a remarkable tournament where he scored seven times, finished as the best player, and reached a whopping 98 goals overall for Argentina.
The good news for Argentina fans is that he wants to play a little while longer wearing the Albiceleste jersey.
Mbappé, meanwhile, became only the second player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final and finished one ahead of Messi on eight goals as tournament’s top scorer — the first to reach that haul since Brazil’s Ronaldo in 2002.
Mbappé’s overall tally of 12 World Cup goals puts him level with Brazil great Pelé — and one behind Messi and Frenchman Just Fontaine, the single-tournament record holder with 13 in 1958.
Former West Germany striker Gerd Mueller (14), Ronaldo (15) and record holder Miroslav Klose of Germany (16) are well within Mbappé’s sights considering the young Frenchman may have three more World Cups ahead of him.
By the 2026 World Cup, Mbappé should also be well in front as France’s all-time leading men’s scorer. He currently has 36 goals and World Cup teammate Olivier Giroud leads Les Bleus with 53.
By the time the next World Cup comes around, Messi will be nearly 39 and perhaps retired from soccer altogether.
So the coast is clear for Mbappé to pulverize World Cup scoring records.
But before he starts thinking about that he has the pressing matter of a first Ballon d’Or to win, and it’s a tall order with Messi as his main rival. But what a treat in store for French soccer fans if they both keep raising their game.
Mbappé played for PSG 10 days after losing the final in Qatar, showing great determination to put that defeat behind him.
The Ballon d’Or race has the makings of a classic contest between the teammates, since they were both in fine form for PSG before heading to the World Cup.
Mbappé tops the league scoring charts with 13 goals and Messi is tied with PSG teammate Neymar for the most assists (10). Mbappé is co-top scorer in the Champions League with seven goals, while Messi again heads the assists chart with four.
Messi won the Champions League four times with former club Barcelona, where he became a superstar and scored 672 goals before joining PSG last season.
PSG has never won the Champions League and this could prove a key factor in Ballon d’Or consideration — especially if Mbappé leads the French giant to the European title.
If Messi doesn’t play Wednesday at home, PSG’s next game is at Rennes on Sunday.
“He had an extraordinary World Cup with a lot of physical effort and challenges,” Galtier said. ”We hope he’s ready for (Angers).”
-AFP
This year’s Ballon d’Or awards ceremony will be held in London for the first time on October 26, organisers said on Thursday, as the prestigious prize celebrates its 70th anniversary.
Created by France Football magazine in 1956, the Ballon d’Or is regarded as the most coveted individual award in world football.
The decision to stage the 70th edition in London was to pay tribute to England’s great Stanley Matthews, who became the award’s first winner seven decades ago, Europe’s football governing body UEFA said.
“By staging its 70th edition in the capital of England and the United Kingdom, the Ballon d’Or continues its expansion and further strengthens its status as a globally prestigious brand,” added UEFA.
The precise venue for the ceremony, which traditionally takes place in Paris, is yet to be announced.
Paris St Germain winger Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati were the men’s and women’s winners in 2025.
-Reuters
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Amstel Malta has hailed Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie after she made history in Paris by finishing fourth in the Women’s Yashin Trophy category at the 2025 Ballon d’Or Awards.
The 24-year-old shot-stopper became the first African goalkeeper to rank among the top five in the global honour, underlining her growing reputation as one of the world’s best.
Nnadozie, who recently joined Brighton & Hove Albion Women in the English Women’s Super League, has already impressed in Europe with a ‘Player of the Match’ debut and a string of commanding performances since.
Amstel Malta, a long-standing supporter of Nigerian women’s football, described her feat as a proud moment for the country and the continent.
The brand had earlier backed the Super Falcons as they clinched a record 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco last year.
“Chiamaka Nnadozie’s rise to global recognition at the Ballon d’Or is a proud moment for Nigeria and Africa,” said Sandra Amachree, Head of Communications – Marketing at Nigerian Breweries Plc. “Her success reflects the resilience, talent, and passion that Amstel Malta has always celebrated in the Super Falcons.
From standing with the team as they won a record 10th WAFCON title, to witnessing this global recognition, we remain committed to refreshing and empowering Nigerian football every step of the way.”
Nnadozie’s Ballon d’Or breakthrough follows recent global recognition for Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, further highlighting Nigeria’s growing presence on world football’s biggest stage.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA
French forward Ousmane Dembélé etched his name in football history on Monday night as he was crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, becoming only the fourth player of African descent to claim the game’s most prestigious individual honour.
Dembélé, whose father is Malian and mother has Mauritanian-Senegalese roots, joins a select group of legends with African heritage: Mozambique-born Portuguese icon Eusébio, Liberian great George Weah, and France’s Karim Benzema, whose father hails from Algeria.
The PSG player’s dazzling season—marked by decisive goals, creativity, and consistency—earned him the accolade ahead of other global stars, underscoring his long-awaited rise to the top of world football.
His victory continues a growing recognition of African football heritage in the global game. Eusébio won the award in 1965, Weah became the first and only African-based player to win it in 1995, while Benzema claimed the prize in 2022. Now, three years later, Dembélé has followed in their footsteps, making history for both France and Africa.
The Ballon d’Or, organised by France Football, has been awarded annually since 1956 to the best-performing footballer in the world.
Players of African Descent Who Have Won the Ballon d’Or
Player Country of Descent / Origin Nation Represented Year Won Eusébio Mozambique (African-born) Portugal 1965 George Weah Liberia Liberia 1995 Karim Benzema Algeria (father’s heritage) France 2022 Ousmane Dembélé Mali (father), Mauritania/Senegal (mother) France 2025
Ballon d’Or Winners Since 1956
- 1956 – Stanley Matthews (England)
- 1957 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
- 1958 – Raymond Kopa (France)
- 1959 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
- 1960 – Luis Suarez (Spain)
- 1961 – Omar Sivori (Italy)
- 1962 – Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
- 1963 – Lev Yashin (Soviet Union)
- 1964 – Denis Law (Scotland)
- 1965 – Eusébio (Portugal)
- 1966 – Bobby Charlton (England)
- 1967 – Florian Albert (Hungary)
- 1968 – George Best (Northern Ireland)
- 1969 – Gianni Rivera (Italy)
- 1970 – Gerd Müller (West Germany)
- 1971 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1972 – Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
- 1973 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1974 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1975 – Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union)
- 1976 – Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
- 1977 – Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
- 1978 – Kevin Keegan (England)
- 1979 – Kevin Keegan (England)
- 1980 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
- 1981 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
- 1982 – Paolo Rossi (Italy)
- 1983 – Michel Platini (France)
- 1984 – Michel Platini (France)
- 1985 – Michel Platini (France)
- 1986 – Igor Belanov (Soviet Union)
- 1987 – Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
- 1988 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
- 1989 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
- 1990 – Lothar Matthäus (Germany)
- 1991 – Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
- 1992 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
- 1993 – Roberto Baggio (Italy)
- 1994 – Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
- 1995 – George Weah (Liberia)
- 1996 – Matthias Sammer (Germany)
- 1997 – Ronaldo (Brazil)
- 1998 – Zinedine Zidane (France)
- 1999 – Rivaldo (Brazil)
- 2000 – Luís Figo (Portugal)
- 2001 – Michael Owen (England)
- 2002 – Ronaldo (Brazil)
- 2003 – Pavel Nedvěd (Czech Republic)
- 2004 – Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
- 2005 – Ronaldinho (Brazil)
- 2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
- 2007 – Kaká (Brazil)
- 2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2009 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2010 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)*
- 2011 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)*
- 2012 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)*
- 2013 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)*
- 2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)*
- 2015 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)*
- 2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2018 – Luka Modrić (Croatia)
- 2019 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2020 – Cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)
- 2021 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2022 – Karim Benzema (France)
- 2023 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2024 – Rodri (Spain)
- 2025 – Ousmane Dembélé (France)
*Between 2010 and 2015, the Ballon d’Or was merged with FIFA’s World Player of the Year award. Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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