Ballon d'Or winner 'leaked', with Ousmane Dembele set to collect Ballon d'Or WITHOUT team-mates in attendance: report

Ballon d'Or favourite Ousmane Dembele #10 of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 quarter-final match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Bayern München at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 05, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. — Ousmane Dembele will be in attendance to collect his Ballon d'Or (Image credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Ousmane Dembele will be in attendance to receive the Ballon d'Or tonight – without his Paris Saint-Germain team-mates.

Dembele has been the favourite for the Ballon d'Or since leading PSG to a first-ever Champions League as one of the older heads in a younger squad – and can become the sixth Frenchman to lift the award with a win tonight.

But the forward – ranked at no.3 in FourFourTwo's list of the best strikers in the world right now – may well have more of his former Barcelona team-mates in attendance than his current colleagues from Les Parisiens.

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Ballon d'Or has ‘leaked’ - and Ousmane Dembele is expected to collect it alone

Rodri claimed the 2024 Ballon d'Or prize back in October — Rodri claimed the 2024 Ballon d'Or prize last year (Image credit: Getty Images)

Following the full list of 30 nominees for the men's award being revealed last month, only 11 clubs have been represented.

But despite the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Desire Doue, Nunes Mendes, Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz also receiving nods for PSG's maiden European title, the French champions won't be present for the ceremony.

PSG captain Marquinhos lifts the Champions League trophy aloft — PSG have a prior engagement tonight (Image credit: Getty Images)

After severe weather conditions led to the postponement of PSG's away trip to Marseille at the weekend, Luis Enrique's team will play the fixture tonight instead.

Le Classique is among the biggest games in the Ligue 1 calendar and unfortunately clashes with France Football's glitzy do, but with Dembele nursing a knock picked up on international duty, the 28-year-old may still be around to collect the Golden Ball.

Desire Doue, another injured for Les Bleus, may remain in the French capital to see his compatriot's coronation.

Eurosport journalist Romain Collet Gaudain has supposedly leaked that Dembele will lift the trophy in a post on X (formerly Twitter), according to the Express – though according to French publication Le Parisien, the protocol has changed around the winner of the prize no longer being notified in advance.

The Ballon d'Or trophy in 2023, as held by Lionel Messi at the ceremony in Paris held by France Football — PSG won't be around to see Dembele lift the award (Image credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

Last year, Real Madrid cancelled their delegation in the 11th hour upon hearing that Vincius Jr was no going to win the gong – so France Football are keeping the identity of tonight's winner under wraps to avoid another leak.

2006 winner Ronaldinho, formerly of PSG and Barça, doesn't give much away as to whether Dembele or Yamal will triumph tonight.

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Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.

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