Paris Saint-Germain were named the men's team of the year for the second year running at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, held at the London Palladium on Monday 26 October. The award was collected by the injured Ousmane Dembélé on behalf of a squad that secured a Ligue 1 and Champions League double last season.

This collective honour caps a remarkable year for the capital club, which had ten players nominated for the individual award. Seven of them finished between 13th and 25th in the final rankings, led by Achraf Hakimi (13th) and Vitinha (14th). Marquinhos (25th), Nuno Mendes (23rd), Ferran Torres (16th), João Neves (19th) and Willian Pacho (20th) completed the strong Parisian contingent.

The current league context

This recognition comes as Paris Saint-Germain currently sit 5th in the Ligue 1 standings with 14 points from seven matches. The team's record reads four wins, two draws and one defeat, just two points behind leaders Rennes. Their latest result was a 2-0 win over Lyon on Saturday, with goals from Senny Mayulu and Mika Godts.

The club's recent form has been mixed, however, with two wins and three losses in their last five matches across all competitions. The next fixture, away to 18th-placed Le Havre on Friday 30 October, offers a chance to build on the weekend's win and close the gap at the top of the standings.

The individual winners

The London ceremony was headlined by the triumphs of Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas. The English striker from Bayern Munich, who scored 73 goals between August 2025 and July 2026, received the trophy from former Brazil star Ronaldo. "It was always about working hard. It was always about improving, it was always about learning," Kane said in his acceptance speech.

Alexia Putellas, meanwhile, won her third women's Ballon d'Or. The FC Barcelona player issued an encouraging message: "To all the boys and girls in the world, if you want to play football, play football, it doesn’t matter if you’re a boy, a girl or where you come from."

Among the other awards handed out, Spain's Unai Simon was named best men's goalkeeper, while the best male player under 21 trophy went to Lamine Yamal for the third consecutive year. Paris Saint-Germain, whose current top scorer is Ferran Torres with four goals, can use this international recognition as they handle the rest of the season's schedule.

Background and full detail: rfi.fr