FILE - Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring during the Club World Cup semifinal soccer match between PSG and Real Madrid in East Rutherford, N.J., Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)

Ousmane Dembélé and Chloe Kelly nominated for men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or awards

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé and England forward Chloe Kelly are among the contenders to win the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or award.

The 30 men’s and 30 women’s nominees were revealed Thursday by France Football magazine, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in Paris on Sept. 22.

The 28-year-old Dembélé was inspirational in leading PSG to its first Champions League title after years of falling short and helped the French club complete a treble. He scored a career-high 35 goals overall for PSG last season.

Teenage star Lamine Yamal, whose mesmerizing performances lit up the Champions League and helped Barcelona win the Spanish league title, is among the other men’s nominees.

Kelly starred for England at Euros

When England won the women’s European Championship last month, the 27-year-old Kelly blasted home the decisive penalty in the final against World Cup winner Spain. She also played a key role earlier in the tense knockout stages.

Last season, Kelly played on the right flank as Arsenal won the women’s Champions League with another against-the-odds win over powerhouse Barcelona.

She faces competition from defender Lucy Bronze and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton — her England teammates who both play for Chelsea — and from Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, the winner of the past two awards.

Barcelona players have won the past four women’s awards. Bronze was runner-up in 2019 to U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe.

PSG players in the spotlight

Dembélé was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men’s award, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, forward Désiré Doué, who scored twice in the 5-0 rout of Inter Milan in the Champions League final, and inspirational winger Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia, who joined from Napoli in the January transfer window.

The other men’s nominees include Egypt striker Mo Salah, whose 29 league goals helped Liverpool win the Premier League, and prolific Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé, who netted 44 times for Madrid last season.

Midfielder Rodri won the Ballon d’Or last year after impressing with Manchester City and Spain but missed most of last season with a knee injury.

Real Madrid snubbed the star-studded ceremony last year in apparent protest because its forward Vinícius Júnior finished in second place. After staying away, Madrid and its players then vented their feelings on social media.

The voting system

The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football magazine and has been awarded since 1956 for men, and since 2018 for women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for the men’s award and the top 50 FIFA-ranked countries for the women’s award.

Each journalist, one per country, selects players in ranked order with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points.

Other nominations

PSG coach Luis Enrique was among the nominees for best men’s coach and England’s Sarina Wiegman best women’s coach.

Donnarumma, whose shot-stopping in the knockout stages proved crucial to PSG’s success, is favored to win the Lev Yashin award for best men’s goalkeeper, while Hampton is among the five women’s candidates for that award.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE – England’s Chloe Kelly celebrates with the trophy as goalkeeper Hannah Hampton at left looks on after winning the Women’s Euro 2025 final soccer match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)
FILE – Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and SL Benfica at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
FILE – England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton stops a shot from Spain’s Aitana Bonmati during a penalty shootout at the end of the Women’s Euro 2025 final soccer match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)
FILE – Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates by taking a selfie after winning the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur and clinching the Premier League title at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)

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