England captain Harry Kane is the favourite to win a wide-open race for the Ballon d'Or at a glitzy ceremony in London on Monday, with Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe also in contention to be named the world's best footballer.
The 70th edition of the award, established by France Football magazine, will be held in England for the first time in recognition of the first winner, Stanley Matthews. Fittingly, the ceremony could see the first English winner in 25 years.
Bayern Munich striker Kane scored a remarkable 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season, leading the German giants to a league and cup double and England to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
"I'd love to be able to achieve something like that. It would be a massive milestone in my career," said the 33-year-old.
However, Kane's semi-final exits in both the Champions League and the World Cup mean the outcome is far from certain.
"I think my wife would prefer to know, and my family ... it's very stressful for everyone," he added.
"I can see why they don't tell people. They want everyone to go, all the big names, and there will be more people watching if they don't know."
'I deserve it'
Yamal finished second to Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele last year, and the 19-year-old Barcelona superstar seems destined to win the Ballon d'Or one day.
However, after a hamstring injury cut short his club season, he was far from the shining light of Spain's World Cup triumph, which was built on the team's strength as a collective unit.
Yamal was beaten by his Barcelona teammates Rodri and Pau Cubarsi in the race for the player of the tournament and young player of the tournament awards, respectively.
That has not diminished his bullish confidence ahead of the ceremony.
"For me, Mbappe and I are the two best players in the world," Yamal said last month.
"I honestly think that, as the best in the world, maybe there are two of us, and this year I would deserve it because of what I've won."
Mbappe, by contrast, boasts plenty of individual milestones despite failing to win major trophies with either Real Madrid or France.
The 27-year-old was the top goalscorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup without winning any of those competitions.
His 10 World Cup goals made him the competition's all-time leading goalscorer on 22.
"Being the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, overtaking all the great legends in the history of the sport in the most important tournament there is, is something that really stands out," Mbappe said.
"Who am I voting for? Myself."
One football journalist from each of the 100 highest-ranked nations in FIFA's rankings is invited to vote for their top 10 players from a 30-man shortlist, allocating a maximum of 15 points to their first choice and one point to their 10th choice.
The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player who accumulates the most points.
Although the award carries no cash prize, it can trigger substantial bonuses from clubs and commercial partners while increasing a player's overall marketing value.
Alexia Putellas is the frontrunner to win the women's award for the third time, with Aitana Bonmati's three-year reign set to end after an injury-hit year.
Putellas, who won the award in 2021 and 2022, was part of the Barcelona side that regained the Champions League title last season before moving to London City Lionesses.
Her former Barcelona teammate, Poland's Ewa Pajor, is Putellas's main challenger after scoring 11 Champions League goals in Barcelona's latest triumph.