U-turn in Paris! PSG abandon neutrality and pick their two Ballon d'Or horses

The noblest neutrality in football lasted about a week: PSG have officially picked sides in the Ballon d'Or race.

Details: PSG have decided to focus their Ballon d'Or campaign on two players, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembélé, Le Parisien confirms. Despite having a historic 10 players on the 30-man shortlist, the Parisian club will mainly push the Georgian and the reigning winner now that voting has officially begun.

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The reversal is striking. When the shortlist dropped earlier this month, PSG made history with 10 nominees and proudly declared they would not campaign for anyone, letting their collective treble defense speak for itself. Reality has since intervened: with Harry Kane leading the bookmakers after Bayern's record-breaking season, Lamine Yamal riding his World Cup wave and Kylian Mbappé looming large for Real Madrid, Paris have concluded that silence is a luxury they cannot afford ahead of the October 26 ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet. The chosen duo is logical. Dembélé, the 2025 winner, seeks to join the ultra-exclusive club of back-to-back recipients and has already gone public with his own ballot, naming Kane and Kvaratskhelia alongside former teammate Mbappé. And Kvara, arguably the decisive figure of PSG's Champions League run last season, represents the fresh face of the project, with a contract renewal also in the works. Left out in the cold: Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz and the rest of the nominated eight, sacrificed for a focused two-man push.

It's worth noting that if Dembélé retains the trophy on October 26, he would become the first player to win consecutive Ballon d'Or awards since Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi traded them for a decade.

Reminder: Shock Ballon d'Or top three! Ousmane Dembélé names his ultimate favorites.