Key events
The men’s Ballon d’Or shortlist
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England)
Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona and Spain)
Marc Cucurella (Chelsea/Real Madrid and Spain)
Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain and France)
Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich and Colombia)
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United and Portugal)
Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal and Brazil)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain and Georgia)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)
Sadio Mane (Al Nassr and Senegal)
Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan and Argentina)
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid and France)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal)
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami and Argentina)
Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich and France)
Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain and Ecuador)
Julian Quinones (Al Qadsiah and Mexico)
Declan Rice (Arsenal and England)
Rodri (Manchester City/Barcelona and Spain)
Fabian Ruiz (Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain and Spain)
William Saliba (Arsenal and France)
Ferran Torres (Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain and Spain)
Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich and France)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid and Brazil)
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal)
Updated at 18.28 EDT
The women’s Ballon d’Or shortlist
Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes and France)
Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride and Zambia)
Esmee Brugts (Barcelona and Netherlands)
Klara Buhl (Bayern Munich and Germany)
Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal and Spain)
Scarlett Camberos (Club America and Mexico)
Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current and Malawi)
Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City and Netherlands)
Cata Coll (Barcelona and Spain)
Corventina Dumornay (OL Lyonnes and Haiti)
Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona and Norway)
Alex Greenwood (Manchester City and England)
Patri Guijarro (Barcelona and Spain)
Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich and Denmark)
Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City and Japan)
Rose Lavelle (FC Gotham and USA)
Mapi Leon (Barcelona / London City and Spain)
Lorena Leite (Kansas City Current and Brazil)
Manaka Matsukobo (Chelsea and Japan)
Melvine Malard (Manchester Utd / Chelsea and France)
Ewa Pajor (Barcelona and Poland)
Vivianne Miedema (Manchester City and Netherlands)
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/London City Lionesses and Spain)
Claudia Pina (Barcelona and Spain)
Wendie Renard (OL Lyonnes and France)
Alessia Russo (Arsenal and England)
Momoko Tanikawa (Bayern Munich and Japan)
Khadija Shaw (Manchester City and Jamaica)
Tessa Wullaert (Como and Belgium)
Caroline Weir (Real Madrid and Scotland)
The award is dedicated to Christophe Gleizes, a French journalist who travelled to Algeria to investigate the death of JS Kabylie player Albert Ebossé in May 20-24, was arrested, and has been imprisoned ever since.
Out come the big pots, the gold football simple, elegant, and same as it ever was.
Now for a piano interlude, the artist actually called Emilio Piano – a happy chance.
Kane thanks his teammates and coaches; to score this amount of goals is a team effort, with those around him pushing him in training and matches. His family and team around him keep him humble and grounded; he and his wife Kate are in this together, everything they do is together and this wouldn’t be possible without her.
Harry Kane thanks those involved in helping him win the Gerd Muller Trophy for the best striker. Photograph: Kin Cheung/APShare
Updated at 18.27 EDT
“When you do things in good faith and with a full heart, everything is worth it,” Corral teaches us. That’s a lovey sentiment, beautifully expressed.
ShareMen’s striker of the year is Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and England
He receives the biggest cheer of the evening so far.
ShareWomens’ striker of the year is Charlyn Corral of Pachuca and Mexico
Being here fills her with pride and satisfaction.
Pachuca’s Charlyn Corral makes a speech after winning the women’s striker of the year award. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.24 EDT
Now Alan Shearer and Sophie Turner take to the stage to present the awards to the strikers of the year.
Kate asks Sophie who she’d play and, when she says Chloe Kelly, she’s asked to imitate her famous celebration, then Shearer is reminded by Thierry that he only won Premier League top scorer three times, not four.
We also honour Jayden Adams, the South African who died tragically, aged 25, and the genius Franco Baresi. Sleep well, chaps.
Now it’s time to remember Kevin Keegan, a one-off as a player and personality. Godspeed, old mate.
Now that you don’t ask, the correct answer is Johan Cruyff. None of the others changed the game in the way that he did, and what we watch today is significantly because of him.
There’s an at-home vote, it appears, for the Ballon d’Or winner of all time, on the shortlist all those who’ve won the award more than once.
Messi
Ronaldo
Platini
Cruyff
Van Basten
Beckenbauer
Ronaldo
Di Stefano
Keegan
Rummenigge
These results will be announced on Wednesday.
Share
Tom Garry
double quotation markBarcelona look firmly on course to complete a clean sweep of the women’s awards and it is no surprise, after their resounding 4-0 victory over OL Lyonnes in May’s Champions League final. This year’s rearranged WAFCON took place outside of the dates for the voting period for this year’s award, so with that in mind, without a World Cup or Euros in the women’s game in 2026, all of the focus was likely to be on the Champions League, where the Spanish champions reigned supreme. Alexia Putellas – the favourite for the main prize – may be a London City Lionesses player now but, if she wins, it will be celebrated by Barcelona. She was back to her best with seven assists and seven goals from midfield in last season’s Champions League campaign. The idea of her taking the trophy to Ditton in Kent, where her current team train, is still a bit hard to get your head around.
Asked if he had any doubts about winning consecutive Champions Leagues, he says the season is long – even if he has plenty of it off, he doesn’t add – saying Bayern were very good and they played an amazing final against Arsenal. This season, there are amazing teams playing, and we’ll see what happens.
He thanks the club, staff and Luis Enrique, cut to Mbappe, who’s missing all the glory. They’ve created an incredible club and always fight together, side by side, whole trying to bring joy and pleasure to all who watch the matches, supporters and not.
ShareMen’s club of the year is … Paris Saint-Germain for the second year in a row
Ousmane Dembele will collect the award.
Ousmane Dembele clutches Paris St Germain’s trophy. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.11 EDT
We’re back for the men’s club of the year…
It’s time for another break.
Joan Laporta, the Barcelona president, is very happy. He feels Barcelona men are candidates to win the Champions League this season.
A beaming Joan Laporta gives his speech. Photograph: Kin Cheung/APShare
Updated at 18.06 EDT
Women’s club of the year is … Barcelona for the third time in four years
Yes, this is football, but I’m not sure anyone can argue with that one.
Updated at 17.53 EDT
Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell will present, so spend time praising each other; Wenger’s favourites were Henry and Bergkamp, while Vieira would turn up at training barely able to walk, then charge about the pitch as he did.
Men’s Club of the Year nominees
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Bodo/Glimt
Flamengo
PSG
Women’s Club of the Year nominees
FC Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Club America
Manchester City
OL Lyonnes
Updated at 17.51 EDT
Saka reads a letter from Biren Giroe, a boy in Rwanda who was losing his sight, struggling to read the blackboard and play with his friends. Big Shoe has restored his sight and, just as many people in the auditorium are realising their dreams, now he can do the same and achieve his ambition of becoming an English teacher. I fear my eyeballs may be sweating.
Photograph: Kin Cheung/APShare
Updated at 18.04 EDT
The winner of the Socrates award for social action and humanitarianism is Bukayo Saka for his Big Shoe charity
Well done sir.
Updated at 17.46 EDT
He says Henry was one of his football heroes and that he’s opened a football academy in Nigeria and hopes one day he’ll be back to see one of his people getting an award,
Time for the Socrates award, dedicated to the memory of the Brazilian hero on account of his social action. It’s going to be presented by … Burna Boy.
“Best-ever goalie was binman Nev, absolutely stunning player,” writes Dave Penfold. ‘I used to work with the ex-national goalie for Norway, and he had videos of Southall to study. I will not be taking questions on this matter.”
The best keeper of my childhood, by a distance, but Schmeichel took it on – in mine.
In interview, Simon says goalies are under different pressure to other players but as they grow up they learn to deal with it and to handle mistakes. He’s proud to be there.