France coach Didier Deschamps backed Dembele for the award, saying "considering the season Ousmane is having, he deserves it and that's all I wish for him".
Didier Deschamps expects the Paris St Germain players to be ready after their Champions League success when France take on Spain in the Nations League semifinals, with the manager also backing Ousmane Dembele for the Ballon d'Or.
Yamal and Dembele have been crucial for club and country this season and the prestigious golden ball trophy could end up with one of them in September during the ceremony in Paris.
The nominees will be announced in early August.
The Egyptian superstar, 32, is favourite to win the award, regarded as the top individual prize in football, after a sensational campaign so far.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti vehemently defended his sides’ decision to boycott the Ballon d’Or award ceremony last year in protest of Vinicius Jr’s snub and said that Rodri, who edged out Vinicius for the award, should have won the prize a year earlier instead of Lionel Messi.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri took the prestigious prize in October with favourite Vinicius in second place
“Why would it hurt me? It was my moment, to enjoy with my family. The last thing I’d be thinking about is people who weren’t there, and didn’t want to participate,” Rodri said in an interview with COPE radio.
It was revealed that five of the 99 journalists who voted for this year’s Ballon d’Or left eventual winner Rodri out of their top 10 list while three journos did not have Vinicius Junior, who came second after the Spanish midfielder, in the top 10 of their ballot.
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane insisted he has no doubt Cristiano Ronaldo will be the deserving winner of a fourth Ballon d'Or come January, but his hat-trick in a 3-0 defeat of Atletico Madrid on Saturday may convince others.
The Ballon d'Or deal between France football and FIFA has ended, the French publication and football's governing body announce.
The winner of the next Ballon d'Or award won't be named for another six months, but Neymar is pretty sure who will be.
Luis Enrique has lauded Lionel Messi as Barcelona's leader and "the best wherever he plays".
Neymar of Barcelona has claimed that winning trophies motivates him more than being named the best footballer in the world.
Lionel Messi's goal at the weekend saw the Argentine reduce Cristiano Ronaldo lead to five in the pair's head-to-head scoring contest in La Liga.
Cristiano Ronaldo explains to reporters how he helped out his rival Lionel Messi with language issues and now expects to be paid.
Lionel Messi's father says he could never have dreamed of the success Barcelona's five-time Ballon d'Or winner has enjoyed.
Culprits write 'Messi' on the back of the bronze homage to the Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo, scribbling the number 10 underneath.
Lionel Messi is rewriting football history. Before the emergence of the Argentine attacker just over a decade ago, the game's records were spread out among a select band of legends. But now there are hardly any left for anyone else.
