England hero and Aston Villa ace both in running to be named world's best

Villa No.1 Emi Martinez has again been shortlisted for the men’s award, which he will be hoping to win for the third successive year.

Jude Bellingham is on the 30-man list for the Ballon d'Or, awarded to the player voted best in the world.

Hampton has been selected for the keeper prize after playing a crucial role in the Lionesses recent win at Euro 2025.

The 24-year-old, a former student at Erasmus Darwin Academy in Burntwood, made a series of key saves throughout the tournament, crucially keeping out four penalties in England’s shoot-out wins over Sweden and Spain, the latter in the final.

Hampton, who also won last season’s Women’s Super League with Chelsea, stepped up to the plate after replacing Mary Earps, herself a former Yachine Trophy winner, as the Lionesses No.1.  

She is one of five goalkeepers nominated for this year’s prize along with Germany’s Ann-Katrin Berger, Spain’s Cata Coll, Nigerian Chiamaka Nnadozie and Daphne van Domselaar of the Netherlands.

Martinez, meanwhile, is again on the shortlist to be named the world’s best male goalkeeper.

The Argentina international, winner of the prize for the last two years, is aiming to complete a hat-trick after helping Villa reach the quarter-finals of last season’s Champions League.

Martinez is one of four Premier League keepers on a 10-man list along with Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Arsenal’s David Raya and Matz Sels of Nottingham Forest.

The winners of both trophies will be announced at the Ballon D’Or ceremony in Paris on September 22.