The votes are already in. When Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé kick off at Camp Nou at 9pm local time on 25 October, the 100 journalists making up the men’s Ballon d’Or jury will have submitted their ballots almost a month earlier.

Voting closed at midnight European time on Monday 28 September. Twenty-four hours after full-time in Barcelona, the winner will be announced at the London Palladium on Monday 26 October. It is the 70th edition of the prize and the first ever staged outside Paris.

Kane leads, from Munich

The bookmakers’ favorite is not on the pitch. Harry Kane’s 73-goal, eight-assist club season at Bayern Munich, followed by a run to the World Cup semifinals with England, has kept him at the top of most power rankings and betting markets, according to Goal.

Yamal is the most likely candidate to overtake him. The Barcelona winger produced 26 goals and 21 assists across last season and started for the Spain side that beat Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final on 19 July.

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Mbappé sits behind them. He finished last season with 58 goals and 14 assists for Real Madrid and claimed the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 tournament goals, but injuries and the absence of a Champions League run have weakened his case.

Mourinho’s Clasico return

The fixture is also José Mourinho’s first Clasico since returning to Real Madrid. He faces Hansi Flick, the Barcelona manager whose side won LaLiga last season and supplied a string of names to the Spain squad that beat Argentina in the World Cup final, Yamal among them.

For Yamal and Mbappé, the sporting result at Camp Nou will matter. The Ballon d’Or standings will not: the ballots are sealed. Kick-off in Barcelona is at 9pm local time on Sunday, with the ceremony at the London Palladium the following evening.

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