SP. The 20 contenders for the 2025 Ballon d’Or – ranked in order

• Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Spaniard since 1960 to do so.
• Vinicius Jr was left frustrated by not winning the award, but is one of the favourites for 2025.
• Lamine Yamal could put himself in pole position to be the first teenager winner over the next 12 months.

The Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly over the Ballon d’Or appears to have come to an end, as Manchester City midfielder Rodri was crowned the 2024 winner ahead of Real Madrid duo Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham. The midfielder was instrumental in success for both club and country, and with Messi and Ronaldo now plying their trade away from Europe, it appears as though Rodri’s victory is the official marking of a new era.

While the Spaniard is a well-deserving recipient this year, the ACL injury he suffered in the early part of the 2024/25 campaign means that it is incredibly unlikely that the 28-year-old will be able to successfully defend his crown. This means, barring a miraculous recovery and some incredible performances, 2025 is set to bring a new champion to the table.

In the past, the prestigious individual accolade was based on the performance of footballers across a calendar year. However, this time around – for the third time in the award’s history – the votes are based on the results of the season. With that in mind we’ve listed – and ranked – 20 potential nominees for the 2025 Ballon d’Or based on how they’ve performed ahead of next year’s gala.

Ranking factors

We’ve determined the order based on the following:

• Goals scored
• Assists
• Clean sheets (if defensive-minded)
• Trophies won/challenged for (expected to)
• Big moments in the 2024/25 season
• General form

10 Florian Wirtz

Bayer Leverkusen & Germany

While there may already be no chance of Bayer Leverkusen replicating their unbeaten campaign from the 2024/25 season, that hasn’t stopped Florian Wirtz from continuing to prove why he is one of the most talented products coming out of Germany right now. The creative midfielder is the jewel in the crown for Xabi Alonso and has picked up where he left off.

There is no doubt that Wirtz’s future is destined to be bigger and better, and one of Europe’s most elite clubs will almost certainly look to secure his signature. For now, he is focusing on delivering top-class performances every week, which is why he finds himself in the early top 10.

9 Mohamed Salah

Liverpool & Egypt

11 goal contributions in his opening nine Premier League games are stats that typify Mohamed Salah’s impact at Liverpool ever since he made the move to Anfield. Despite the fact he is approaching the latter stages of his career, and that he is having to work with a new manager for the first time since arriving on Merseyside, the Egyptian King remains one of the Premier League’s very best players.

While his performances aren’t always the most outstanding, history has shown that statistical data is becoming all the more important when dictating who wins individual awards. As a result, Salah can never be ruled out when he is as efficient as he has been.

8 Cole Palmer

Chelsea & England

Having already been crowned the English Player of the Year in 2024, Cole Palmer is no stranger to winning individual honours. With the way he is currently going about his business, he may have his sights on the grandest prize of them all.

The obvious drawback for Palmer is that he is not competing in either of the two biggest European club competitions, which is usually a must-have for previous winners. However, a successful Premier League campaign coupled with an impressive display during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup could give the former Man City youngster an outside chance of victory.

7 Bukayo Saka

Arsenal & England

After finishing 21st in the 2024 rankings, Bukayo Saka will be looking to make leaps and bounds, both in terms of his overall position and in his game as a whole over the next 12 months. The fearless winger has gone from strength to strength under Mikel Arteta’s leadership and is more often than not one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League.

Up until now, Saka has improved his goal contributions season by season and will be hoping this term is no exception. If that is the case, it could be enough for him to smash his way into the top 10.

6 Robert Lewandowski

Barcelona & Poland

There were fears among some that Robert Lewandowski was beginning a slow decline last season, as the usually talismanic goalscorer was no longer reaching the heights that fans had come to expect from him. Father time does catch up to everyone, and it appeared the former Bayern Munich star was no exception.

However, the arrival of Hansi Flick at the Nou Camp has reinvigorated the poacher, who is banging in goals like he is in his prime once again. Perhaps revenge is on the mind of the Polish frontman as he chases the Ballon d’Or title he was robbed of in 2020.

5 Harry Kane

Bayern Munich & England

A trophy-hungry Harry Kane will be motivated by silverware this season after his disappointments with both Bayern Munich and England over the last 12 months. While that may be his primary goal, his role in achieving that could line him up for plenty of individual acclaim.

Goals are the name of the game, and Kane is a master at scoring them. If he is able to bring domestic trophies and maybe even a European one to Allianz, and continue his early fine form, there could be no stopping England’s greatest-ever forward.

4 Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid & France

It feels like an inevitability that at some point in his career, Kylian Mbappe will stand on the top of the podium lifting the famous golden ball. The French forward has been touted as a future successor to Messi and Ronaldo, but now in his mid-twenties, he has still not achieved his destiny.

At Real Madrid, despite the fact they claim to feel disrespected by France Football, he has a stronger chance than he did previously at PSG. The only issue now is that he is not the only superstar in the Spanish capital looking to win the award, and he is yet to make an overly impressive start to life at his new club.

3 Lamine Yamal

Barcelona & Spain

There has never been a teenage winner of the Ballon d’Or before, and the fact of the matter is, Lamine Yamal still has another couple of years to achieve this feat. If he continues his incredible upward trajectory, all bets are off as to whether or not he can really do it.

Having already put one of the biggest clubs in Europe on his back since he was 15 and helped lead his country to a European Championship at 16, Yamal is clearly a fearless individual who embodies the phrase “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.” He’s broken several records already, but could this one potentially be his finest?

2 Erling Haaland

Manchester City & Norway

By the standards Erling Haaland set in his first season at Manchester City, his follow-up campaign may have seemed a little underwhelming – even though he still claimed the Premier League Golden Boot. However, he has come out flying this season, and few players have started as dominantly as him.

Having already reached double digits domestically in no time at all, the former Borussia Dortmund man is on a mission to beat the aforementioned Mbappe in their race to become the first of the pair to win the Ballon d’Or. As far as next year’s award goes, it’s the City striker who currently leads that battle.

1 Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid & Brazil

After refusing to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony in 2024 after finding out he wasn’t going to win the award, Vinicius Jr may have to wait one more year before being crowned the first Brazilian since Kaka to claim the prestigious trophy. It is understandable why the winger was caught off guard by the fact he didn’t win in the most recent go-around. After all, he had been the favourite even on the day of the gala.

It wasn’t meant to be for Vinicius, though, but if he can put in another campaign that is on par with or exceeds what he has done in the last couple of years, he may very well be the front-runner in 12 months’ time.

All statistics in this article are via Transfermarkt (correct as of 28/10/2024).