The Japan Times - As Ballon d'Or vote nears, stars campaign for the award

This self-promotion is a relatively recent development in a team sport where, until a few years ago, the top individual prize went largely unnoticed until it was time to present it.

But now, the Ballon d'Or dominates the football conversation during the months when the new European season is still finding its feet.

The trophy will be presented on October 26, while the final sprint began on September 8 when France Football, the award organiser, released the list of 30 candidates to succeed Ousmane Dembele.

The ceremony will be in London, even though only five of the 30 nominees play in the English Premier League.

The award carries no cash prize, but it has become worth increased income and status to players and their teams.

Many stars have related bonuses in their boot contracts while the award also increases their overall marketing value, and that of their club.

The two all-time leading Ballon d'Or winners, Lionel Messi, who has picked up the trophy eight times, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who won five times, both have annual sponsorship income estimated by Forbes at more than 65 million dollars.

Clubs can expect to sell more merchandise if one of their players wins.

Some 100 invited journalists –- one representative from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings -– will cast votes.

With no clear favourite, the stars and their PR agencies are stepping up their campaigns. Achievements are shamelessly paraded to scrape together votes.

- 'I deserve it' -

"For me, Mbappe and I, we're the two best players in the world," Lamine Yamal, who has won the World Cup and La Liga in 2026, said in an interview on Movistar Plus.

"I honestly think that, as the best in the world, maybe there are two of us, and this year I deserve it because of what I've won," the 19-year-old aded.

He was responding to the Frenchman, who days earlier had emphasised the award's individual nature -- after a year in which he won no trophies with either Real Madrid or France, who lost a World Cup semi-final to Spain, but scored 10 World Cup goals to take his tally to an all-time leading 22.

"Being the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, overtaking all the great legends in the history of the sport in the most important tournament there is, is something that really stands out, a global event. Who am I voting for? Myself," said the striker, who was also the top scorer in last season's Liga and Champions League.

His manager, Jose Mourinho, did not hesitate to back up the argument: "We know who has made history this summer, and he's not from PSG or the Spanish national team."

In 2024, Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony after learning just before they were due to travel that none of their seven nominees had won.

This year, Paris Saint-Germain have a record 10 nominees, after retaining the Champions League.

That number, and also the side's reputation for collective team spirit, may count against them.

Their leading candidates are Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Fabian Ruiz, the only player on the list to have won both the Champions League and the World Cup this year.

- 'Why not dream?' -

"Why not dream?", the unassuming Spanish midfielder told French television.

PSG are refusing to pick one individual while arguing that the winner has to be one of their players.

"Kvara and Doue are incredible players. For me Kvara could win the Ballon d'Or, as could Dembele and others," said coach Luis Enrique.

Dembele told France Football that he would not try to influence the poll.

"May the best player win; in any case, it's not us who are voting," he said. "I never sell myself. It's up to them to decide."

Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane, who scored 73 goals while leading Bayern Munich to a German domestic double and his country to third in the World Cup, remains quiet.

Bayern are speaking up for their leader, putting together a video in which team-mates said that Kane should win.

"He deserves to win it, 100 per cent, without a doubt," said Colombian Luis Diaz, who is also on the shortlist.

M.Matsumoto--JT