Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Ballon d'Or, PSG, Ousmane Dembele, Ligue 1, Football
Tom Jenkins
Three PSG players are set to be in attendance for tonight's Ballon d'Or ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday evening despite the club's clash with Marseille.
Le Classique was originally scheduled for Sunday, however, following security and weather concerns the Ligue 1 clash was postponed.
Due to football laws in France, a match must be played the following day in this scenario, meaning the PSG squad will miss the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Nine of PSG's Champions League-winning squad have been nominated for the men's Ballon d'Or this year.
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Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha have all been nominated for the award alongside former player and now-Manchester City star Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Dembele heads into the ceremony as the favourite alongside Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, following 35 goals and 16 assists in all competitions for PSG last campaign.
The Frenchman will be one of three PSG stars able to attend the Théâtre du Châtelet due to injury, with the sidelined Doué and Neves also set to appear.
Doue and Neves have also been nominated for the 2025 KOPA trophy, with the PSG duo hopeful of stopping Yamal winning the award in consecutive years.
Speaking in an interview with FourFourTwo, Dembele admitted he is not surprised to see his name put forward and highlighted the significance of the award.
"After season like this with four trophies, goals and assists it’s natural to see myself among the candidates for this award," he explained.
"No individual accolade's more important for footballer.
"The Ballon d’Or's prestigious, sacred and exceptional when we consider all the legends who've won it," he added.
Dembele's boss, Luis Enrique, is also the favourite to take home the Men's Coach of the Year award; however, unlike the Frenchman, the Spaniard will have no choice but to miss the ceremony.
There have been no credible leaks of the winner like in previous years, with France Football's editor-in-chief, Vincent Garcia, claiming to be the only person who knows the official result.