Arsenal’s Defensive Core Invades Ballon d’Or Shortlist as Ceremony Leaves Paris for London

The Ballon d’Or is leaving Paris. For its 70th anniversary on October 26, 2026, the ceremony will take place in London, a relocation that underscores a broader redistribution of power in European football. The shift is underlined by the unusual composition of the men’s 30-man shortlist, which features a defensive spine from Arsenal—a club that had not won the Premier League in 22 years until this season.

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Central defender William Saliba has earned a place on the shortlist following a series of composed, highly praised performances. His partner Gabriel has secured his first-ever nomination for the award. Together, they formed the most statistically formidable defensive partnership in English football over the past year. Arsenal reached the final of the UEFA Champions League and ended their domestic championship drought with a Premier League title—their first since the undefeated “Invincibles” campaign of 2003–04 under Arsène Wenger.

Goalkeepers, defenders, and defensive midfielders rarely command the spotlight in the Ballon d’Or, established by the French publication France Football in 1956 and now co-organized with UEFA. Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper ever to have won the main Ballon d’Or, in 1963. Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya did not make the final 30-man cut but was nominated for the Yashin Trophy, an award established in 2019 to ensure specialized recognition for the position.

Declan Rice, who arrived at Arsenal from West Ham United in 2023 for a club-record fee, returns to the final 30 after finishing 27th in the voting the previous year. The England international faces familiar competition on the ballot from Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, who recently edged Rice to win the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Players’ Player of the Year award. Rice’s presence reinforces his status as one of Europe’s premier box-to-box midfielders.

Mikel Arteta, who took charge of Arsenal in December 2019, has been nominated for Men’s Coach of the Year. He rebuilt the squad from mid-table finishes into European finalists, and the club itself is up for Men’s Club of the Year. The nominations, first reported by the Standard, mark a major milestone for Arsenal.

Historically, no Arsenal player has ever won the men’s Ballon d’Or. French forward Thierry Henry came closest during the club’s golden era, finishing as runner-up to Pavel Nedvěd in 2003 and third behind Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon in 2006. The frontrunner for the 2026 prize remains England captain Harry Kane, who enjoyed a record-breaking debut season in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and followed it with a highly productive run at the FIFA World Cup.

Winger Ousmane Dembélé is back on the shortlist, looking to defend his crown after winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or. In the women’s category, Arsenal’s Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey—the latter of whom joined from Barcelona after winning multiple continental titles—are both in contention for the Ballon d’Or Féminin, introduced by France Football in 2018. Whether Arsenal’s modern defensive foundation can finally break that historical ceiling on home soil will be revealed at the upcoming ceremony in London.