The nominees for the 69th edition of the Ballon d’Or have just been announced. The Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah, Paris Saint-Germain’s talisman, Ousmane Dembélé, and the teenage phenom Lamine Yamal are among the favourites to lift the trophy.
Serie A MVP Scott McTominay made the list following his career revival at Napoli. He’s the first Scotsman in 38 years to make the shortlist; the last Scot to make the shortlist was Ally McCoist in 1987.
2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or Nominees
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
- Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan)
- Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund)
- Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting Lisbon/Arsenal)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
- Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
- Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
- Scott McTominay (Napoli)
- Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
- João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
- Pedri (Barcelona)
- Raphinha (Barcelona)
- Declan Rice (Arsenal)
- Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
- Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
- Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen/Liverpool)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
How are the Ballon d’Or winners decided?
- The award is calculated by taking three main criteria into account:
- 1. Individual performances, decisive and impressive character
- 2. Team performances and achievements
- 3. Class and fair play
- The 2025 edition of the Ballon d’Or will consider achievements from August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025.
- The Ballon d’Or is voted on by specialised journalists from countries in the Top 100 in the latest FIFA rankings. Each country has one representative for the award.
Who are the favourites for the 2025 Ballon d’Or?
The 2024-25 season witnessed some incredible individual as well as team performances. PSG dominated the list with 9 nominees from their club after securing a historic treble. Despite the French club’s strong performance, the list is dominated by Premier League stars.
1. Ousmane Dembélé
- Club: Paris Saint-Germain
- Nationality: France
- 2024/25 Appearances: 53
- 2024/25 Goals: 35
- 2024/25 Assists: 16
- 2024/25 Achievements: Ligue 1 Player of the Season, Ligue 1 Top Goal Scorer, UEFA Champions League winner, Ligue 1 winner, Coupe de France winner, and French Super Cup winner.
The French international had a remarkable campaign with this star-studded PSG side. He was crucial in PSG’s conquest of the treble and the club’s maiden Champions League. He’s arguably the top contender for this edition of the Ballon d’Or.
2. Lamine Yamal
- Club: FC Barcelona
- Nationality: Spain
- 2024/25 Appearances: 55
- 2024/25 Goals: 18
- 2024/25 Assists: 25
- 2024/25 Achievements: La Liga winner, Copa del Rey winner, Supercopa de España winner.
Barcelona’s teenage phenom is ready to grab the footballing world by the throat. The Spanish superstar laid out inspiring performances in both the domestic season as well as in the Champions League. Should he pick up the 2025 Ballon d’Or, Lamine Yamal will be the youngest Ballon d’Or winner at only 18 years old.
3. Raphinha
- Club: FC Barcelona
- Nationality: Brazil
- 2024/25 Appearances: 57
- 2024/25 Goals: 34
- 2024/25 Assists: 25
- 2024/25 Achievements: La Liga Player of the Season, UEFA Champions League Top Goal Scorer, La Liga winner, Copa del Rey winner, Supercopa de España winner.
The Brazilian winger racked up crucial goals for FC Barcelona as the club picked up its domestic treble. The only criterion hurting Raphinha’s Ballon d’Or chances is the club’s failure to win the Champions League.
4. Mohamed Salah
- Club: Liverpool FC
- Nationality: Egypt
- 2024/25 Appearances: 52
- 2024/25 Goals: 34
- 2024/25 Assists: 23
- 2024/25 Achievements: FWA Footballer of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season, Premier League Golden Boot, Premier League winner.
The Egyptian King put together an all-time Premier League season, breaking the record for the most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season. His efforts cruised Liverpool to the league title in Arne Slot’s first season. The English side missed out on European glory as they crashed out of the competition against eventual winners PSG.
When will the winners of the 2025 Ballon d’Or be announced?
The 2025 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony is set to take place on Monday, 22 September, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The winner of all the awards, including the Men’s Ballon d’Or, will be announced at the ceremony.
Written by: Thillai Ritvik
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