Ballon d'Or: Why PSG Stars Will Not be Attending Ceremony

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The reason why PSG stars will not be attending Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony

The reason why Paris Saint-Germain's star players will not be attending the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday night has now been revealed, despite the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha being in the running for football's most prestigious individual honour.

Les Parisiens are among the best teams in world football right now and, after securing a second straight Champions League title with a 2-1 win over Arsenal in May, have once again put themselves in pole position to sweep up the majority of the silverware on offer.

Indeed, that European triumph capped off a remarkable season in which Luis Enrique's side won five honours in total. The likes of Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe will be hoping to get their hands on the Ballon d'Or this week , but will be conspicuous by thr absence of some of their toughest rivals.

In the past, certain players and representatives have not attended the ceremony because they've caught wind of the fact they have not been awarded anything. Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid, for example, boycotted the 2024 edition after feeling wronged by Rodri's victory.

For PSG, though, it comes down to a fixture rescheduling issue. As per The Independent , their Ligue 1 match against Lyon at the Parc des Princes has been moved from Sunday to Monday due to security concerns ahead of more protests in the French capital this weekend.

It means the rescheduled match will now clash with the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London, with French authorities preparing for a huge security operation on Saturday with as many as 70,000 officers set to be deployed in response to the unrest that has swept through the country.

The list was compiled just a few days out from the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, with Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal among the favourites.

The Ballon d'Or ceremony, hosted at the London Palladium, starts at 17:00 GMT on Monday, while PSG take on the league leaders just 2.5 hours later.

PSG have 10 players in the running for the men’s award, including Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Vitinha.

Warren Zaire-Emery has also been nominated for the men’s young talent of the year prize, while Matvey Safonov is in contention for the goalkeeper award and Luis Enrique has been shortlisted for men’s coach of the year.

However, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia and PSG captain Marquinhos could still make the trip to the London ceremony, with all three currently sidelined through injury.

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