Paris Saint-Germain's Ballon d'Or contenders Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are unusually supportive of each other's candidacy for the 2026 award, with both players publicly backing their teammate and even joking about sharing the prize. PSG has an unprecedented ten players shortlisted for the individual honour, which will be announced at a ceremony in London on 26 October, and the two wingers' mutual respect reflects the mutual success they have enjoyed together during the club's dominant campaign.

Kvaratskhelia, signed from Napoli in January 2025 for £59 million, was named the Champions League's best player last season with ten goals and six assists, achieving a goal contribution every 72 minutes and becoming the first player to score or assist in seven consecutive knockout matches in a single Champions League campaign. Dembele, 29, delivered 31 combined goals and assists with an efficiency rate of 1.27 per 90 minutes—second only to Harry Kane amongst Europe's top-five league players. Since Kvaratskhelia's arrival, PSG have won ten of a possible twelve trophies, with the pair complementing each other perfectly, operating down the left and right wings respectively whilst defenders struggle to contain both threats.