Across those seven decades, the award has changed a great deal, opening up from European players only to talent from around the world, and moving from performances over a calendar year to those across a European football season. One thing, however, has never changed: the Golden Ball has always been a barometer of the global standing of the players and teams among its nominees. This year, no club displays that status more prominently than Paris Saint-Germain.
Ten PSG players have been named on the 30-man shortlist for football’s most prestigious individual award, beating the club’s own record of nine set last year. Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Willian Pacho, Fabián Ruiz, and Vitinha all earned their spots through their performances for the French side. Ferran Torres arrived in the summer, and his inclusion only underlines how appealing the Paris project has become.
The recognition goes beyond the main individual award in men’s football. PSG also feature in four other categories: Men’s Club of the Year, the Johan Cruyff Trophy (Luis Enrique), the Kopa Trophy, and the Yashin Trophy (Matvey Safonov). Spanning best club and coach through to best goalkeeper and best player under 21, this range points to all-round excellence rather than a one-off success for the winners of the last two UEFA Champions League titles.
Becoming a global brand
PSG’s Golden Ball story had modest beginnings. João Alves became the club’s first representative in the rankings in 1979, finishing 21st. Four years later, Safet Sušić came 15th. Luis Fernandez reached the top 20 twice in the mid-1980s, placing 12th in 1985 and 17th in 1986. Then, in 1995, George Weah became the first player with PSG ties to win the award, recognized for a calendar year that started in Paris and finished at AC Milan.
These four names trace Paris Saint-Germain’s evolution, from occasional appearances in the lower reaches of the rankings to a club that now dominates both European football and the nomination lists.
Lionel Messi lifted the Golden Ball as a PSG player in 2021, with Ousmane Dembélé following in 2025. In under half a century, the club has gone from one representative on the list to ten nominees and a presence in every key category.
Scale of PSG’s achievements today
For the second year in a row, at least nine PSG players are in contention for the main award in 2026. Yet the names alone tell only part of the story.
Reigning Golden Ball winner Ousmane Dembélé was once again at the heart of PSG’s European campaign, with eight goals and two assists in 13 UEFA Champions League appearances. Achraf Hakimi’s six assists placed him joint-third in the competition. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia set a record for a Georgian footballer in a single edition with 16 goal contributions and was named UEFA Champions League Player of the Season.
Marquinhos became the club’s all-time leader in European appearances. Willian Pacho led the tournament with 105 ball recoveries, even with much of the hype surrounding Arsenal’s star center-back pairing. Fabián Ruiz became the only player to win both the Champions League and the World Cup this year, and Vitinha was named Player of the Match in the final against Arsenal.
All of this reflects the system Luis Enrique has built, so his Johan Cruyff Trophy nomination comes as no surprise. PSG became only the second club of the modern Champions League era to retain the title. Beating Arsenal in Budapest brought the coach his third win in the competition and led to a contract extension running through the summer of 2030.
Matvey Safonov also earns a special mention as the second PSG goalkeeper, after Gianluigi Donnarumma, to make the Yashin Trophy shortlist.
PSG’s influence has long reached beyond the pitch. Working with 1xBet, one of the world’s leading betting companies, since 2022, the club has grown into a truly global football brand. The attention around the Golden Ball is as much a media phenomenon as a sporting one, with Paris at its center. As an official partner, 1xBet fits naturally into this picture, sharing in PSG’s involvement in the world’s biggest football events.
PSG are already making history
Whoever lifts the awards on October 26, PSG have already won in a wider sense. Once just another name on a long list, the club now features in every key Golden Ball category and is setting records that could stand for years. Paris stopped waiting for recognition a long time ago – now it sets the rules of the game.
