France Football has unveiled the 30-strong shortlists for this year's men's and women's Ballon d'Or, with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice representing England among the men's nominees, while Alessia Russo and Alex Greenwood are the sole Lionesses recognised on the women's list. The winners will be crowned at a ceremony in London on 26 October, a switch from the award's traditional Paris setting designed to honour the 70th anniversary of the prize, first won by England legend Sir Stanley Matthews.
Kane arrives as the bookmakers' favourite after an extraordinary campaign at Bayern Munich, where he scored a club-record 61 goals in 51 appearances as the German side completed a domestic double. He added six goals for England at this summer's World Cup, a tournament that also showcased the talents of fellow nominees Bellingham and Rice. Rice's influence stretched beyond the international stage, playing a central role as Arsenal ended a 22-year wait to reclaim the Premier League title.
Chasing Kane for the men's award is Barcelona and Spain sensation Lamine Yamal, who claimed La Liga glory with his club before lifting the World Cup with Spain. His Barcelona and international team-mate Rodri follows close behind in the betting. Ousmane Dembélé, last year's winner, returns to the shortlist alongside his France colleague Kylian Mbappé, who etched his name into World Cup folklore by surpassing Lionel Messi's all-time tournament scoring record with 22 goals. Messi himself remains in contention, the record eight-time Ballon d'Or winner having steered Argentina to the World Cup final while also claiming Major League Soccer honours with Inter Miami.
In the women's competition, Arsenal forward Russo continues to build on a breakthrough period in her career. After finishing third in last year's vote, she followed up with another prolific season, netting 24 goals in 40 appearances for her club. Manchester City captain Greenwood also earns recognition following a trophy-laden campaign in which she lifted both the Women's Super League and the FA Cup.
Notably absent from the women's shortlist is Aitana Bonmatí, the Barcelona midfielder who has swept the past three Ballon d'Or titles. Bonmatí missed a significant portion of the season with a broken leg, though she did return in time to help Barcelona complete a quadruple, including another Champions League triumph. Her absence from the nominee list opens the door for rivals such as two-time winner Alexia Putellas, who is considered among the frontrunners after helping Barcelona lift the Champions League, alongside Ewa Pajor and Melchie Dumornay.
Greenwood's Manchester City team-mate Khadija Shaw also features on the list after a prolific domestic campaign that saw her score 21 goals in 22 league matches. Scotland international Caroline Weir, who left Real Madrid for Lyon in the summer, rounds out several of the notable inclusions following a 20-goal season in all competitions for the Spanish club.
The decision to stage this year's ceremony in London rather than Paris has been described as a symbolic tribute to Matthews, who became the inaugural Ballon d'Or winner when the award was launched by France Football in 1956. Fans and pundits will now wait to see whether Kane can end the wait for an English winner of the men's prize, while the women's race appears wide open following Bonmatí's enforced absence from contention.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football and BBC Sport Football.