On Monday, France Football will host the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony in Paris, and Barcelona will be present. The Catalans have many numbers up for a variety of awards, although not all of their nominees will make the trip.
Earlier in the weekend, it was revealed that Pedri and Robert Lewandowski, both of whom have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, will not be part of Barcelona’s travelling party for the ceremony. This news came as a shock, although for the former, it was a decision that was necessary.
Pedri, who has had an outstanding 12 months in terms of performance levels, has agreed with Barcelona not to attend the ceremony, with Sport reporting that he is prioritising proper rest amid a tough schedule for Hansi Flick’s side.
Furthermore, Pedri believes that he is not in contention to win the award, which is also the case for Lewandowski – Barcelona’s two main contenders are Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, with both players likely to make up the podium with Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele. For him, this is another reason that he has decided not to attend.
Barcelona return to action less than 72 hours after ceremony
It makes sense for Pedri not to go, given that he is not a realistic candidate to win the Ballon d’Or – and especially since he will likely be a starter – injury depending – when Barcelona face Real Oviedo on Thursday, less than 72 hours after the ceremony in Paris. The same can also be said for Lewandowski, who has had a slow start to the new season after picking up an injury during the summer.
It will be interesting to see how Barcelona’s nominees get on during the Ballon d’Or ceremony. As well as Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Pedri and Lewandowski, they have a number of personnel up for other awards, including Flick with the Coach of the Year.
