Only Ligue 1 has more nominees than Spain’s top division, because of the inclusion of 10 PSG players.
The nominees for the next edition of the Ballon d’Or have been revealed, with the ceremony set to take place on October 26th 2026. Paris Saint-Germain, who won last season’s Champions League, have had 10 players nominated for the award given out by France Football, while LALIGA EA SPORTS is the top competition after Ligue 1 in terms of candidates, with seven. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.
Four of those seven play for Real Madrid, namely Jude Bellingham, Marc Cucurella, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius, while three of them are on the books at Spanish champions FC Barcelona, in Pau Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal and Rodri. Ferran Torres, who just moved from Barça to PSG, deserves a mention too, as he won the LALIGA EA SPORTS title during the season being considered for this prize.
The English Premier League has five nominees, the German Bundesliga has four and the Saudi Pro League has two, while Serie A and MLS have one each on this list of the best 30 players for the 2025/26 season.
Six of Spain’s World Cup winners make the list
Following their success during the summer at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, half a dozen members of the Spain squad have been nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or. That includes the aforementioned Cucurella, Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Ferran Torres, while Real Betis academy graduate and current PSG midfielder Fabián Ruiz is the other.
These six players have spent time in the academies of FC Barcelona, RCD Espanyol, Girona FC, Atlético de Madrid, Villarreal CF, Valencia CF and Real Betis on their way to the top, highlighting the variety of Spanish academies developing world-class talent.
Messi, Rodri and Dembélé: The three previous winners
There are three players on this year’s list of 30 who know what it’s like to be presented with the Ballon d’Or trophy: Lionel Messi, Rodri and Ousmane Dembélé. All three of them have played in LALIGA EA SPORTS, and Messi famously won six of his record eight Ballon d’Or honours with FC Barcelona.
Rodri and Dembélé have won the prize while representing Manchester City and PSG, respectively, but both had previously developed their skills in LALIGA EA SPORTS. The Spain captain is now back in his home country, following his summer switch to FC Barcelona, and is vying to win this prize for a second time after captaining his country to World Cup glory.
The other awards: LALIGA EA SPORTS is home to leading youngsters and goalkeepers
Several other awards will be handed out on October 26th, and the candidates for these were announced as well. When it comes to the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year prize, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, FC Barcelona’s Joan García and Athletic Club’s Unai Simón all made the cut, meaning LALIGA EA SPORTS has the most nominees of any competition.
Then, with the Men’s Young Talent of the Year prize, it’s also the case that no league has more footballers up for this honour than LALIGA EA SPORTS. Spain is represented here by Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal and new Real Madrid signing Yan Diomandé, who was excellent with RB Leipzig last term.
The Men’s Coach of the Year award is interesting too, with four of the five candidates all hailing from Spain. Luis de la Fuente, as the coach of La Roja, has been nominated, while Spaniards Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery all received nominations too, even if they now work outside of Spain, and Bayern Munich’s Vincent Kompany rounds off the list.
It’ll be fascinating to see who wins the prizes when the ceremony is held next month. Could there be a repeat winner? Or will the Ballon d’Or be won be lifted by some other player for the first time?
