Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele may not be in attendance as the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner is crowned on Monday night.
The Frenchman is considered the overwhelming favourite to take the top prize at the glitzy awards ceremony after he hit 35 goals and assisted 16 in all competitions last season, but neither he nor his PSG teammates will be on location at the Theatre du Chatelet.
The news comes as PSG were forced to reschedule their Ligue 1 match against Marseille on Sunday.
‘Le Classique’ was due to be held at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Sunday evening, but it has been postponed due to severe thunderstorms in the region.
Ligue 1 regulations state that any match postponed due to adverse weather conditions should be moved to the following day, and, in keeping with that statute, the game has been bumped to Monday night.
The rescheduled clash will kick off at 7pm BST, meaning Dembele and his PSG team-mates will be unable to attend the ceremony, expected to start at 7.45pm.
PSG won a quadruple last season, finishing top of Ligue 1 and also winning the Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions, and Champions League.
It is no surprise, then, that PSG players dominate the 30 Ballon d’Or nominees.
Alongside Dembele on the shortlist are Desire Doue, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz.
Dembele, Doue, and Neves are all injured, though, and could remain in Paris for the ceremony rather than travelling with the squad to Marseille.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, who moved to Manchester City from PSG on Deadline Day, has also been shortlisted for his contributions last season.
