A Ballon d'Or campaign as fierce off the pitch as on it
The Ballon d'Or award has become a focal point for intense PR campaigns and media speculation among top football clubs and players. Experts note that the focus on individual accolades reflects broader societal trends favoring individual achievement over collective success.
Why it matters
The commercialization and PR-driven nature of sports awards highlight the massive financial and reputational stakes involved in modern professional football.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Ousmane Dembele won the Ballon d"Or in 2025 and is one of 10 PSG players listed for it this year
An emotional Ousmane Dembele had barely settled back into his chair at Paris' historic Theatre du Chatelet last September, gold-dipped orb in hand, when campaigns for this year's men's Ballon d'Or prize began to whirr into action.
Entourages roused their candidates, media revelled in the hype. Who deserved the award in 2026? A World Cup year, no less, in which the narrative occasionally became not just which players could lead their country to glory, but how doing so would help them secure football's biggest individual accolade.
"The Ballon d'Or has been discussed every single day," said European football expert Guillem Balague on BBC Sport's Euro Leagues podcast.
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