The nominees for the Ballon d’Or of 2025 have been unveiled with the price announced next month.
A final shortlist of 30 names has been confirmed with a new name that is certainly crowned the winner. The Ballon d’Or remains the most prestigious individual prize in football, but who are the favorites to take the trophy?
The five favorites to win the Ballon d’Or from 2025
5. Rephinha – Barcelona
Currently fifth favorite, Raphinha placed herself in fight for the prize after an incredible Renaissance in Barcelona. The Brazilian was expected to leave the Spanish side last summer, but instead remained placed to produce the season of his career.
Raphinha was named La Liga player of the season when Barcelona won a domestic double, while he flourished in Europe to end 2024/25 as the top scorer of the Champions League. He ended the campaign with 34 goals and 17 assists in an extraordinary campaign.
4. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
Mohamed Salah looked the red-hot favorite for the Ballon d’Or in one phase last season, while the Egyptian set up a record-breaking Premier League campaign. The early exit from Liverpool in Europe may be expensive, although he is a strong chance of improving his best balloon d’Or finish of the fifth in 2019 and 2022.
Premier League winner. Player of the season. Top goal scorer. Most assists.
What else can be said about the iconic 2024/25 season of Mohamed Salah? 🇪🇬👑 https://t.co/rob06hxetr
– Premier League (@premierleague) August 7, 2025
Salah inspired Liverpool to the success of the Premier League title in 2024/25, so that the division led both goals and assists. No player in Europe’s top five competitions was directly involved in more goals (47) than the 33-year-old. He only wants to become the second African balloon d’Or winner, after George Weah in 1995.
3. Vitinha-paris Saint-Germain
The Vitinha season could hardly have gone better. The support center of the best club side in Europe, Vitinha was the heartbeat of the triple-winning team of Paris Saint-Germain.
After having dominated for more than ten years, PSG eventually conquered Europe with a 5-0 thrashing from Inter Milan in the final. Vitinha followed that success by making an impression when Portugal won the Nations League in the summer.
2. Lamine Yamal – Barcelona
Could Lamine Yamal be the youngest winner ever of the Ballon d’Or?
The Spaniard is three years younger than the current holder of that honor, Ronaldo Nazario, who was 21 when he claimed the prize in 1997.
Lamine Yamal, #Ballondor nominee pic.twitter.com/ZB9PX29PFN
– FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona) August 7, 2025
Yamal is the second favorite for the prize after a stunning season in Spain. The teenager led La Liga for assists when Barcelona won a domestic double and produced a series of electrical versions on the European stage.
Make no mistake, the 18-year-old is already one of the world’s best. He could be the first player in history to win both the Ballon d’Or and Kopa trophy in the same season.
Remembering when a 21-year-old Ronaldo Nazario won the Ballon d’Or
1. Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele is the leader after leading Paris Saint-Germain to a historic season. Dembele stepped out of the shadow of Kylian Mbappe to become the most important man in the Parc des Princes and fulfilled his potential in a new central role.
The Frenchman fired 35 goals in all competitions and delivered at various crucial moments during the campaign. Undoubtedly the best player, in the best club side, in 2024/25.
In January PSG 2-0 to Man City and on the edge of a shock early exit.
Ousmane Dembele then went on this incredible Champions League run and is now the Ballon d’Or favorite. pic.twitter.com/phtplmnpsg
– Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_Footballclub) August 7, 2025
Full 2025 Ballon d’Or Shortlist
- Ousmane Dembele (PSG & France)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG & Itally)
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid & England)
- Desire Doue (PSG & France)
- Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan & Nederland)
- Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund & Guinee)
- Erling Haaland (Man City & Norway)
- Viktor Gyokees (Arsenal & Sweden)
- Achraf Hakimi (PSG & Morocco)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG & Georgia)
- Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona & Poland)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool & Argentina)
- Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan & Argentina)
- Scot McTominay (Napil & Scotland)
- Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid & France)
- Nuno Mendes (PSG & Portugal)
- Joao Neves (PSG & Portugal)
- Pedri (Barcelona & Spain)
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea & England)
- Michael Olise (Bayern Munich and France)
- Raphinha (Barcelona & Brazil)
- Declan Rice (Arsenal & England)
- Fabian Ruiz (PSG & Spain)
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool & Nederland)
- Vinicius JR (Real Madrid & Brazil)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt)
- Florian Wirtz (Liverpool & Germany)
- Vitinha (PSG & Portugal)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona & Spain)
Read – Arsenal -Teenage mentioned on Kopa Trophy Shortlist
See More – Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool Bosses nominated for 2025 Ballon d’Or Awards
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