An individual crowning achievement for a fantastic season? Striker Ousmane Dembélé is the hot favorite to lift the Ballon d'Or on Monday night in Paris during a ceremony that should crown PSG's historic run as European champions, although rising FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal may also be hoping to lift the trophy.

Starting at 7:30 p.m., dozens of players and personalities from the world of football will parade down the red carpet at the Théâtre du Châtelet, in the heart of the capital, in front of countless cameras and microphones.

A few hours later, Ousmane Dembélé's name should be announced, to be the unofficial best player of the year, chosen by a panel of journalists, before a speech by the winner in front of delegations from the most prestigious clubs.

The Parisian, who was once in the shadow of Kylian Mbappé, who has since left for Real Madrid, has had a dream season to win the favour of the predictions, and would become the sixth French winner.

At 18, Lamine Yamal is his main competitor. After winning the Euro 2024 with Spain, the right winger, who trained at La Masia, showed off his talent in the Champions League this spring, putting in some rare performances.

If the Ballon d'Or should elude him this time, his Barça coach Hansi Flick is convinced: "One day we will see Lamine win this trophy."

Model of fair play

While Dembélé is expected to be overwhelmed by the accolades, his PSG teammates will be on the pitch at the Stade Vélodrome to face OM in Ligue 1, in a "classic" initially scheduled for Sunday evening but postponed due to bad weather in the Marseille region. Currently injured, Dembélé will be present for the ceremony, as will his teammate Désiré Doué, according to their entourage.

The 28-year-old French international was one of the key players in PSG's historic Champions League victory, completing a treble with the French league and cup titles.

Firstly, with his 35 goals and 16 assists in all competitions, but also with his influence on the game, capable of switching with the midfielders or finishing in the penalty area. He is also the first link in the team's relentless pressing chain.

Without being an exceptional media personality, Dembélé also enjoys a good image and is a model of fair play on the pitch, one of the criteria considered by the voters, 100 journalists of all nationalities.

"Ousmane, Ballon d'Or," sang his coach Luis Enrique at a press conference on Saturday.

Having won the Champions League, Dembélé seems to have a head start over his rival Yamal. The 18-year-old prodigy certainly made a strong impression, thanks to his incredible moves and magical ease with the ball. But his statistics are less impressive (18 goals, 25 assists in all competitions) and his FC Barcelona were stopped in the Champions League semi-finals by Inter Milan, whom PSG then crushed in the final (5-0).

The Catalan club has successfully won the domestic league, Copa del Rey and Super Cup treble, but Yamal's image was tarnished this summer when they hired dwarves for a birthday party.

Far behind, the outsiders are Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), but above all Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha, Dembélé's teammates.

To avoid a split vote, PSG has also focused on promoting Dembélé alone, primarily his coach and president. Nasser Al-Khelaïfi even warned: "If he doesn't win, there's a problem. He's done everything."

More broadly, the ceremony will bear the mark of PSG.

The trophy for best coach should not escape Luis Enrique, builder of a rejuvenated and terribly attractive team, which no one expected to win the "Cup with the Big Ears" so soon.

Former PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has moved to Manchester City, is expected to win the Yachine Award. And while Lamine Yamal is the favorite for the Raymond Kopa Trophy for Best Young Player, Désiré Doué is a serious contender (he scored twice and provided an assist in the Champions League final).

Women's Ballon d'Or more uncertain

For the first time, the ceremony will offer all the female equivalents of the men's trophies. But the ultimate distinction is more uncertain.

Two-time Ballon d'Or winner (2023, 2024) Aitana Bonmati, the Barcelona and Spain playmaker, remains arguably the best player in the world, but she lost both European finals, the Champions League and the Euro. The same goes for Alexia Putellas, a two-time winner in 2021 and 2022, who had a great season but didn't win anything except La Liga with Barcelona.

On the other hand, central defender Leah Williamson and striker Alessia Russo, both English and Arsenal players, won the Champions League against Barça and Euro 2025 against Spain.

French women Clara Mateo (Paris FC) and Sandy Baltimore (Chelsea) are among the 30 nominees but are far behind the favorites.