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News
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The top five Ballon d'Or contenders for 2025
Cameron Smith
- 2 Jun 2025 15:08 BST
- 5 min read
Analysis
The Ballon d’Or may have lost some of its shine following the end of the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo era, but it remains the most prestigious individual award in world football.
Every elite player dreams of winning it one day and the eventual victor will cement their name among the greats of the game.
Current ETV
Rodri
DM, M (C)
Man City
Rodri
DM, M (C)
Man City
ETV Range
€78.3M - €95.7M
Manchester City midfielder Rodri is the reigning champion after his somewhat controversial win in 2024, with Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior angered by his second place finish.
However, a new winner is almost guaranteed to be crowned this year as Rodri has missed virtually the entire 2024-25 season through an ACL injury, while Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Messi and Ronaldo (the only active players to have won the Ballon d’Or) are extremely unlikely to emerge victorious.
The Ballon d’Or now takes into consideration a full European campaign (from August to July) rather than a calendar year, meaning the 2024-25 season will be responsible for deciding who will win the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through the top five contenders for the 2025 Ballon d’Or as things stand.
READ MORE: The 2024 Ballon d'Or top 30 in full
Raphinha (Barcelona)
Raphinha is currently the clear favourite to win the Ballon d’Or this season - a sentence that would’ve been met with disbelief last summer amid Barcelona’s eagerness to offload him.
However, the former Leeds United winger enjoyed a simply sublime campaign under Hansi Flick and he is widely expected to become the first Brazilian to win the award since Kaka back in 2007.
Raphinha has been forced to play as a left winger due to the emergence of Lamine Yamal, yet he has shone in this position, and he ended the 2024-25 campaign with 34 goals and 25 assists in all competitions.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
The aforementioned Yamal is also a major contender for the Ballon d’Or and he would smash Ronaldo Nazario’s record as the youngest ever winner if he is able to taste victory later this year.
The Spaniard burst onto the scene with a stunning 2023-24 campaign and he has reached ever greater heights this season as Barcelona have re-emerged as heavyweights on the European scene.
Yamal registered 43 goal contributions in all competitions, although he may be beaten by his Barcelona team-mate Raphinha due to the Brazilian's immense form in both the Champions League and La Liga.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah was the overwhelming favourite to win the Ballon d’Or at the start of 2025, but his chances of claiming the award have diminished by the second since the turn of the year.
The Egyptian’s mesmeric start to the campaign didn't continue and while he guided Liverpool to the Premier League title, his ineffectiveness during their Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain has harmed his bid for glory.
Salah is still expected to finish inside the top five due to his immense tally of 57 goals and assists, however his chances of winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or are now fairly low.
Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
Ousmane Dembele’s career revival in 2024-25 has been nothing short of spectacular and it has fired him into serious contention for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
The France international has never been a reliable goalscorer during his career so far, but that fact is no longer true and he was now the lynchpin of PSG’s world class attacking unit under Luis Enrique.
Having led PSG to Champions League success too, Dembele has seen his pedigree grow massively and he is now considered a frontrunner for the award.
Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
Forwards are almost always the recipients of individual awards, however Achraf Hakimi staked his claim for the Ballon d’Or with a strong performance against Inter Milan in the Champions League.
The PSG right-back was in sensational form this campaign, notching 23 goal contributions in all competitions from right-back, including nine en route to Champions League glory.
The Morocco international has been an instrumental figure for Enrique’s side and if Fabio Cannavaro’s record as the last defender to win the Ballon d’Or is to be broken, now seems like an appropriate time given Hakimi’s form this term.
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