Ousmane Dembélé and Chloe Kelly nominated for men's and women's Ballon d'Or awards

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé and England forward Chloe Kelly are among the contenders to win the men's and women's Ballon d'Or award.

The 30 men's and 30 women's nominees were revealed Thursday by France Football magazine, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in Paris on Sept. 22.

The 28-year-old Dembélé was inspirational in leading PSG to its first Champions League title after years of falling short and helped the French club complete a treble. He scored a career-high 35 goals overall for PSG last season.

Teenage star Lamine Yamal, whose mesmerizing performances lit up the Champions League and helped Barcelona win the Spanish league title, is among the other men’s nominees.

When England won the women's European Championship last month, the 27-year-old Kelly blasted home the decisive penalty in the final against World Cup winner Spain. She also played a key role earlier in the tense knockout stages.

Last season, Kelly played on the right flank as Arsenal won the women’s Champions League with another against-the-odds win over powerhouse Barcelona.

She faces competition from defender Lucy Bronze and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton — her England teammates who both play for Chelsea — and from Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, the winner of the past two awards.

Barcelona players have won the past four women's awards. Bronze was runner-up in 2019 to U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe.

Dembélé was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men's award, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, forward Désiré Doué, who scored twice in the 5-0 rout of Inter Milan in the Champions League final, and inspirational winger Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia, who joined from Napoli in the January transfer window.

The other men's nominees include Egypt striker Mo Salah, whose 29 league goals helped Liverpool win the Premier League, and prolific Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé, who netted 44 times for Madrid last season.

Midfielder Rodri won the Ballon d'Or last year after impressing with Manchester City and Spain but missed most of last season with a knee injury.

Real Madrid snubbed the star-studded ceremony last year in apparent protest because its forward Vinícius Júnior finished in second place. After staying away, Madrid and its players then vented their feelings on social media.

The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football magazine and has been awarded since 1956 for men, and since 2018 for women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for the men's award and the top 50 FIFA-ranked countries for the women's award.

Each journalist, one per country, selects players in ranked order with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points.

PSG coach Luis Enrique was among the nominees for best men's coach and England's Sarina Wiegman best women’s coach.

Donnarumma, whose shot-stopping in the knockout stages proved crucial to PSG's success, is favored to win the Lev Yashin award for best men's goalkeeper, while Hampton is among the five women's candidates for that award.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates by taking a selfie after winning the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur and clinching the Premier League title at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)

FILE - England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton stops a shot from Spain's Aitana Bonmati during a penalty shootout at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 final soccer match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

FILE - Barcelona's Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and SL Benfica at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)

FILE - England's Chloe Kelly celebrates with the trophy as goalkeeper Hannah Hampton at left looks on after winning the Women's Euro 2025 final soccer match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

FILE - Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring during the Club World Cup semifinal soccer match between PSG and Real Madrid in East Rutherford, N.J., Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.

An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.

His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”

Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.

That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.

McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.

“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”

Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”

“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.

This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)