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News
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The Champions League finalists who could win Ballon d'Or
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 30 May 2025 05:46 CDT
- 5 min read
Analysis
The 2025 Champions League final is almost here, with Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain meeting Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena on Saturday evening.
The former have been the outstanding team in the competition thus far, knocking out three Premier League clubs en route to the final, while the latter have incredibly only been in a losing position for 16 minutes throughout the entire tournament.
Both teams rely heavily on a collective effort, rather than solely on individual players, however a number of stars set to feature in the final could establish themselves as contenders to win the Ballon d’Or if they perform well on Saturday.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through the Champions League finalists who could win the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
Ousmane Dembele could well usurp Lamine Yamal and Raphinha as the outright favourite for the Ballon d’Or if PSG win the final and he plays a key role during the game.
The Frenchman has been a perennial underperformer since leaving Borussia Dortmund for Barcelona in 2019, however he has finally delivered on his potential this season and he has excelled in a false nine role under Luis Enrique.
Dembele has 44 goal contributions in 48 appearances across all competitions this campaign, and a starring display in the Champions League final could lead to a Ballon d’Or win.
Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
Forwards are almost always the recipients of individual awards, however Achraf Hakimi could stake a claim for the Ballon d’Or with a strong performance against Inter.
The PSG right-back has been in sensational form this campaign, notching 20 goal contributions in all competitions, including eight en route to the Champions League final.
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.
Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)
A goalkeeper is even less likely to win the Ballon d’Or than a defender, especially one whose errors almost dumped PSG out of the Champions League in the league phase.
However, despite several high-profile mistakes during the early months of the competition, Gianluigi Donnarumma has catapulted up the Ballon d’Or power rankings thanks to his form in the knockout stages.
PSG would almost certainly have exited the competition without his heroics versus Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal, while he also helped the Parisians lift the Ligue 1 title for the 13th time in history. Another eye-catching display against Inter would boost his Ballon d’Or hopes.
Current ETV
Gianluigi Donnarumma
GK
PSG
Gianluigi Donnarumma
GK
PSG
ETV Range
€33.4M - €40.8M
Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
Lautaro Martinez has scored in four of his five Champions League knockout appearances this season, while he also found the back of the net on five occasions in the league phase.
The Argentina international remains a pivotal player for Simone Inzaghi and he could captain Inter to their first Champions League title since 2010.
Goals have been harder to come by than usual in Serie A, however, meaning Lautaro may struggle to win the Ballon d’Or unless he delivers one of the best Champions League final performances in history.
Marcus Thuram (Inter)
Lautaro’s strike partner Marcus Thuram has actually fared slightly better this campaign and he will therefore be one of the Ballon d’Or frontrunners if Inter win the final.
Thuram has scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in all competitions this term, and Inter would’ve struggled to beat Barcelona in the semi-finals without the Frenchman’s presence up front.
An eye-catching display in the final could elevate Thuram into a serious contender for the biggest individual prize in football.
Denzel Dumfries (Inter)
If Denzel Dumfries wins the Ballon d’Or, it would cause waves of disbelief across world football. After all, the Dutchman isn’t the most aesthetically-pleasing footballer on the planet and he certainly isn’t the most talented.
But, he could genuinely have an outside chance of glory if he scores the winning goal for Inter in the Champions League final.
He was their best player during the semi-final win over Barcelona - notching two goals and three assists across the two legs - and he could receive a hatful of votes if he is the most influential player in the final.
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