Journalists pick their Ballon d'Or favourites, see who made the shortlist 🥇

As the football season progresses and the race for individual accolades heats up, anticipation for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award reaches fever pitch. In a move that has sparked immediate debate across the football world, French newspaper Le Parisien recently released a preliminary survey on Friday (11th) gauging the preferences of journalists from 12 different countries regarding their favourites for the coveted Golden Ball. While the number of respondents, a mere 12, is notably small compared to the comprehensive official voting body, this early insight offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolving consensus among a segment of the international sports media.

Despite its limited sample size, the Le Parisien poll serves as an intriguing barometer, hinting at the names that are beginning to dominate conversations in newsrooms and pundits' tables worldwide. Though specific names from this particular survey were not immediately disclosed, it’s widely understood that the usual suspects, players who delivered extraordinary individual performances alongside significant team triumphs during the past season, are almost certainly at the forefront of any such preliminary list. The criteria for the Ballon d'Or traditionally weigh heavily on a player's individual brilliance, their decisive impact in major competitions, and the collective success of their club and national teams. Therefore, goal-scoring titans, creative masterminds, and defensive stalwarts from Champions League-winning sides or top-tier domestic champions are invariably the ones drawing the most attention.

This journalistic temperature check, albeit informal, underscores the perennial challenge and fascination of the Ballon d'Or: its subjective nature. Each journalist, when casting their vote, brings their own interpretation of "best," weighing factors like raw statistics against game-changing moments, sustained excellence against peak performance in a crucial final. The small scale of Le Parisien's survey means it should be viewed more as a conversation starter than a definitive prediction, yet it effectively highlights the intense scrutiny and varied perspectives that will ultimately shape the final outcome. As the official shortlist draws nearer, the football world will be watching closely to see if the broader consensus aligns with these initial preferences, further fueling the debate over who truly deserves to be crowned the best player on the planet. The journey to the grand ceremony is long, but these early indicators from the media landscape suggest that a compelling contest is already well underway.