Nine players from treble-winning Paris St Germain have been nominated for the men's Ballon d'Or this year along with the club's coach Luis Enrique as France Football announced the list of nominees on Thursday.
In front of a tournament-high crowd of 81,188 at MetLife Stadium that included US President Donald Trump, Chelsea triumphed to bag the biggest club title.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said he believes Lionel Messi will sign a new contract with the Spanish champions despite reports the five times World Player of the Year is stalling over a new deal.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique played down talk of a rift with his squad after their surprise home defeat by Alaves and is hoping to put things right in their Champions League opener against Celtic on Tuesday.
Dembele was able to attend the ceremony, as he was already in Qatar for Wednesday's Intercontinental Cup final where PSG take on Flamengo.
Images from the Club World Cup quarter-finals between Paris St Germain-Bayern Munich and Real Madrid-Dortmund.
IMAGES from football matches played across Europe on Friday.
'I want the market to damn well close so that I know who I can count on'
PSG beat Seattle to reach knockout stage at Club World Cup
Messi or Suarez should win World Cup if not Spain, says Luis Enrique
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is head strong but it appears as though he may be fighting a losing battle with the four times World Player of the Year.
Former Barcelona great Michael Laudrup lambasted the Brazil international for "provoking" the opposition in Saturday's 5-1 win at Leganes and Neymar's flamboyant style will be scrutinised again on Wednesday when Barcelona host Atletico.
The 30-year-old was excluded from Spain's squad for this year's World Cup but is hopeful of turning his fortunes around under former Barcelona boss Enrique.
Cole Palmer scored twice as the Chelsea proved too good for the Parisians, fresh off their maiden Champions League triumph last month.
PSG's focus on unity, tactical discipline and collective effort has drawn widespread plaudits ahead of their showdown with Inter Milan, who eliminated Barcelona after a thrilling semi-final.
Barcelona have added Luis Suarez to their star-studded forward line but it could be their defensive reinforcements that make the difference as they look to win back the La Liga title.
The enduring image of Luis Enrique for many soccer fans is the Spain player with blood gushing from his nose after a vicious elbow from Italy defender Mauro Tassotti during the 1994 World Cup quarter-final in Boston.
Aitana Bonmat won the women's Ballon d'Or for the third year running while the 18-year-old Yamal, who was Dembele's teammate at Barcelona when he first broke through in 2023, was again awarded the men's Kopa Trophy.
Images from the Champions League semi-final first leg between Arsenal and Paris St Germain at Emirates Stadium, London, on Tuesday.
Spain's new coach Luis Enrique said on Thursday that his tenure in charge of the 2010 world champions would be all about 'evolution, not revolution' but the former Barcelona manager also promised plenty of surprises in his first squad.
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has become the latest to insist that all is well at the club, dismissing reports of a rift between Argentina forward Lionel Messi and coach Luis Enrique.
"Will Germany be more dangerous because they need the win more? You never know in football," Luis Enrique said.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Images from the Champions League semi-final second leg between Paris St Germain and Arsenal, at Parc des Princes, Paris, France, on Wednesday.
'We know how to differentiate between when it's family and when we are manager and player'
'We saw Messi play like a kid in the school playground today'
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday
Spain coach Luis Enrique promised evolution rather than revolution when he took charge of the national side following their disastrous World Cup campaign this year when they were eliminated in the round of 16.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said he was shocked by the wild knee-high challenge on world player of the year Lionel Messi that triggered a straight red card for Atletico Madrid's Brazilian defender Filipe Luis on Saturday. The coach, whose side won 2-1 at home to go three points clear in La Liga, protested angrily on the touchline after the left back's studs-up tackle against the Argentine forward shortly before half time. "Did you see my reaction? Then you can imagine what I was thinking. It shocked me but I am not going to go into details about it," he told a news conference at the Nou Camp.
Spain and Costa Rica are playing in Group E along with Germany and Japan.
Barcelona will attempt to give Luis Enrique his 100th victory in his 125th game in charge of the team when they play at Athletic Bilbao in la Liga on Sunday. A former Barca player, the 46-year-old led them to a La Liga, King's Cup and Champions League treble in his first year in charge and the domestic double last season. The Catalans started the campaign with a 5-0 aggregate triumph over Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup and a 6-2 victory over Real Betis in La Liga.
Wild celebrations erupted across Paris on Saturday, with thousands of soccer fans descending on the boutique-lined Champs Elysees boulevard, after Paris St Germain crushed Italian rivals Inter Milan 5-0 to win the Champions League for the first time.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Moreno, who holds a degree from the University of Barcelona in trade and international relations, began working alongside Luis Enrique with Barcelona's B team in 2010 in the scouting department.
Paris St Germain played out their first goalless draw of the season at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday but stayed in the driving seat for direct qualification for the Champions League last-16 after a string of fine saves by home goalkeeper Unai Simon denied the defending champions.
Images from the UEFA Champions League final between Paris St Germain and Inter Milan, at Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany, on Saturday.
I told my players to take 1,000 penalties, says Spain's Luis Enrique
Unzue is one of the two leading candidates to succeed Luis Enrique, who announced this month he will leave at the end of this season, along with Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde.
Gavi, 18, and Pedri, who turned 20 during the tournament, showed maturity beyond their years at the heart of the team's midfield, while strikers Ansu Fati and Nico Williams, both 20, looked full of potential when they came off the bench.
