Don’t miss our predictions for the Ballon d’Or 2025: check out the candidates and favourites for the title of best player in the world, in both the men’s and women’s categories.
Rodri confounded the betting odds last year when the Spaniard won the Ballon d’Or, after Vinícius Júnior had been made a short-price favourite in the run-up to the award. However, after missing the majority of last season with an ACL injury, Rodri will not be adding a second Ballon d’Or to his collection this year.
Ballon d’Or key points
- The award ceremony will take place on 22nd September.
- UEFA has co-organised the Ballon d’Or with France Football starting from the 2024 awards.
- The number of awards has been increased to twelve to include the women’s Kopa Trophy and women’s Yashin Trophy.
- Since its inception in 1956, the 2020 edition was the only one not to take place, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ballon d’Or history
The Ballon d’Or was initially only awarded to players from Europe (from its first edition in 1956 until 1994). From 1995, it was widened to include players of any origin who had played for a European club. Then, from 2007, it was expanded further and became a global award.
Originally, the award was based on performance during a calendar year, but this was changed in 2022, and it is now determined based on a player’s performance during the previous season. The rules on voting have also been changed, with the current system allowing one journalist from each country in the top 100 of the FIFA Men’s World Ranking to cast a vote.
Ballon d’Or 2025 predictions
Over the years, the trophy winner has not always been a popular decision, and for many years it seemed impossible to break the dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. From 2008 to 2017, it was only those two legends of the game that gained the prestige of being named the Ballon d’Or winner. In that 10-year period, they each won the trophy five times.
In 2023/24 Erling Haaland had a season that he will find it hard to match, winning his second Golden Boot in the English Premier League and seeing his side, Manchester City, claim their fourth domestic league title, after he claimed the European Golden Shoe for 2022/23. However, that was still not enough for the Norwegian to win the Ballon d’Or, as Messi once again took the trophy, despite playing the last half of 2023 with Inter Miami in America.
Prior to last year, Luka Modrić (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022) are the only two players outside of Messi and Ronaldo to have won the trophy since 2008. In 2024, Manchester City’s Rodri joined the exclusive list of winners.
There are already indications of who is likely to be this year’s winner, as Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain is a strong favourite with the bookmakers. The French forward was a major part of PSG’s Champions League success, having scored eight times in the tournament and being named Champions League ‘Player of the Season’. In total, there are nine Paris Saint-Germain players included amongst the 30 nominations.
Lamine Yamal won last year’s Kopa Trophy and is regarded as the main challenger to Dembélé for this year’s top award. The youngster had another impressive season for Barcelona as his side took the LaLiga title, although they were eliminated at the semi-final stage of the Champions League.
The betting odds suggest it’s unlikely that the winner will come from outside those two players; however, the next few players in the betting are Mohamed Salah, Raphinha, Cole Palmer and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Who are the Ballon d’Or nominees?
The official list of nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2025 was announced on 7th August 2025. The players nominated are:
| Player | Club | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | English |
| Ousmane Dembélé | Paris Saint-Germain | French |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Paris Saint-Germain | Italian |
| Désiré Doué | Paris Saint-Germain | French |
| Denzel Dumfries | Inter | Dutch |
| Serhou Guirassy | Borussia Dortmund | Guinean |
| Viktor Gyökeres | Sporting Lisboa* | Swedish |
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City | Norwegian |
| Achraf Hakimi | Paris Saint-Germain | Moroccan |
| Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | English |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Paris Saint-Germain** | Georgian |
| Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | Polish |
| Alexis Mac Allister | Liverpool | Argentinian |
| Lautaro Martínez | Inter | Argentinian |
| Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid | French |
| Scott McTominay | Napoli | Scottish |
| Nuno Mendes | Paris Saint-Germain | Portuguese |
| João Neves | Paris Saint-Germain | Portuguese |
| Michael Olise | Bayern Munich | French |
| Cole Palmer | Chelsea | English |
| Pedri | Barcelona | Spanish |
| Raphinha | Barcelona | Brazilian |
| Declan Rice | Arsenal | English |
| Fabián Ruiz | Paris Saint-Germain | Spanish |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Egyptian |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | Dutch |
| Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid | Brazilian |
| Vitinha | Paris Saint-Germain | Portuguese |
| Florian Wirtz | Bayer Leverkusen*** | German |
| Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | Spanish |
The nominees for this year’s men’s Ballon d’Or
Who will win the Ballon d’Or?
When considering who may be voted the Ballon D’Or winner, you should bear in mind that not only club form is taken into account. A player’s performance for their national teams also plays a part, and those who do well for both their club side, including at this year’s Club World Cup, and national side will have a better chance of winning the trophy.
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain & France)
Being named as the top player in the 2024/25 Champions League, in which his PSG side won the trophy, lifted Ousmane Dembélé to the top of the list as the most likely 2025 Ballon d’Or winner. The Frenchman was particularly impressive in the UCL, but also saw his team win another Ligue 1 title. A spectacular season was nearly topped off with the Club World Cup title, but PSG were defeated by Chelsea in the final.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona & Spain)
The Spanish youngster only turned 18 last month, but is looking not only to win the Ballon D’or but also to retain the Kopa Trophy he won last year. A good start and finish to last season was sandwiched by a quieter period in between. Although, with Barcelona winning LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España, it could be a player from the Catalan side who takes the title if the voting goes against Dembélé.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt)
A remarkable season for Salah saw the Egyptian score 29 EPL goals—a total that won him the EPL Golden Boot—and a career-best of 18 assists. His side, Liverpool, comfortably won the English Premier League, although their round-of-16 exit in the UCL may have dented Salah’s Ballon d’Or chances.
Raphinha (Barcelona & Brazil)
Raphinha had an excellent 2024/25 season, with Barcelona winning several trophies and him personally being the joint top scorer in last season’s Champions League, having found the net 13 times during the tournament. Alongside Yamal, they were the two Barcelona players who featured in the UCL team of the tournament.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea & England)
Cole Palmer had a superb season for Chelsea, helping his side win both the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup. He was awarded the Golden Ball for the latter tournament, which is awarded to the best player, and also received man of the match for the UCL final, in which his two goals helped the Blues defeat PSG 3-0.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain & Georgia)
The Georgian winger is another of the horde of PSG players listed amongst the 30 contenders. Although he was a crucial part of the French club’s success in the Champions League, he only joined them in January 2025 after spending the first half of the season at Napoli.
Other leading candidates for the Ballon d’Or 2025
Apart from those players already highlighted, there are other interesting names in the running.
Like Lamine Yamal, another youngster, 20-year-old Désiré Doué, is also in contention for both the Kopa Trophy and the main award. After turning down a move to Bayern Munich, Doué played a significant role in the success of PSG last season. Further down the list, you’ll find Harry Kane, who has topped the scoring charts in the Bundesliga during both his seasons at Bayern Munich.
Amongst the defenders, Achraf Hakimi earned many plaudits for his goal-scoring achievements, netting 11 times during the season, including twice in the Club World Cup, as well as scoring the opening goal in the Champions League final. Meanwhile, Italian shot stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma was also a big presence in the PSG goal.
When is the Ballon d’Or 2025 taking place?
The Ballon d’Or 2025 ceremony takes place on Monday 22nd September at the Théâtre Châtelet in Paris.
Ballon d’Or 2025 voting system
The list of 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or was drawn up by the France Football magazine, which organises the gala and presents the award, as well as fellow French publication L’Equipe. Once the list has been drawn up, a committee of 100 sports journalists from FIFA’s 100 top-ranked member nations is responsible for voting, awarding 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12 and 15 points to their ten chosen candidates, based on the following criteria: individual performances, decisive and impressive character, team performances and achievements, and class and fair play. The scoring system was changed in 2024, hence the total points awarded increased significantly last year.
2025 Ballon d’Or Gala Awards
The list of awards at the Ballon d’Or ceremony was expanded last year with the merger of France Football and UEFA. In addition to the ten awards that were given out last year, the women’s Kopa Trophy and women’s Yashin Trophy awards will be added this year, bringing the total number of awards to twelve.
- Men’s Ballon d’Or
- Women’s Ballon d’Or
- Men’s Kopa Trophy
- Women’s Kopa Trophy
- Men’s Yashin Trophy
- Women’s Yashin Trophy
- Gerd Müller Trophy
- Sócrates Award
- Men’s Club of the Year
- Women’s Club of the Year
- Men’s Coach of the Year
- Women’s Coach of the Year
Although several of the awards are self-explanatory, the other awards are decided on the following basis:
- Kopa Trophy—presented to the best performing player worldwide under the age of 21.
- Yashin Trophy—presented to the best performing goalkeeper.
- Gerd Müller Trophy—presented to the highest-scoring footballer for the previous season, taking into account goals scored for both clubs and national teams.
- Sócrates Award—presented to the footballer considered to have done the best humanitarian work worldwide.
Who are the top Ballon d’Or winners?
- Lionel Messi: eight trophies (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023)
- Cristiano Ronaldo: five trophies (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
- Michel Platini: three trophies (1983, 1984, 1985)
- Johan Cruyff: three trophies (1971, 1973, 1974)
- Marco van Basten: three trophies (1988, 1989, 1992)
- Franz Beckenbauer: two trophies (1972, 1976)
- Ronaldo: two trophies (1997, 2002)
- Alfredo Di Stéfano: two trophies (1957, 1959)
- Kevin Keegan: two trophies (1978, 1979)
- Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: two trophies (1980, 1981)
Five previous men’s Ballon d’Or results
| 2018 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Luka Modrić | Real Madrid | 753 |
| Second | Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | 476 |
| Third | Antoine Griezmann | Atlético Madrid | 414 |
| 2019 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 686 |
| Second | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | 679 |
| Third | Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | 476 |
| 2021 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Lionel Messi | Paris Saint-Germain | 613 |
| Second | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 580 |
| Third | Jorginho | Chelsea | 460 |
| 2022 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | 549 |
| Second | Sadio Mané | Bayern Munich | 193 |
| Third | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 175 |
| 2023 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | 462 |
| Second | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 357 |
| Third | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | 270 |
| 2024 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Rodri | Manchester City | 1170 |
| Second | Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid | 1129 |
| Third | Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | 917 |
Clubs whose players have won the Ballon d’Or the most times
- Barcelona: twelve trophies
- Real Madrid: twelve trophies
- Milan: eight trophies
- Juventus: eight trophies
- Bayern Munich: five trophies
- Manchester United: four trophies
Ballon d’Or—women’s category
To mark the growth of women’s football, France Football introduced the award for the best female footballer in the world in 2018. Six editions have already been held, with Spanish football dominating the last four awards thanks to the triumphs of the Barcelona stars Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí. Both players are also in the running for the title this year.
Barcelona provided the first two players for the 2021 awards, the winner of the 2022 award, the first and third placed women in 2023, and the top three players in last year’s Ballon d’Or. The Catalan side have six nominations among the thirty players for this year’s awards.
The full list of women’s Ballon d’Or nominations
| Player | Club | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy Baltimore | Chelsea | French |
| Barbra Banda | Orlando Pride | Zambian |
| Aitana Bonmatí | Barcelona | Spanish |
| Lucy Bronze | Chelsea | English |
| Klara Bühl | Bayern Munich | German |
| Mariona Caldentey | Arsenal | Spanish |
| Sofia Cantore | Juventus* | Italian |
| Steph Catley | Arsenal | Australian |
| Tabitha Chawinga | Kansas City Current | Malawian |
| Melchie Dumornay | Lyon | Haitian |
| Emily Fox | Arsenal | American |
| Cristiana Girelli | Juventus | Italian |
| Esther González | Gotham FC | Spanish |
| Caroline Graham Hansen | Barcelona | Norwegian |
| Hannah Hampton | Chelsea | English |
| Pernille Harder | Bayern Munich | Danish |
| Patricia Guijarro | Barcelona | Spanish |
| Amanda Gutierres | Palmeiras | Brazilian |
| Lindsey Heaps | Lyon | American |
| Chloe Kelly | Arsenal** | English |
| Frida Maanum | Arsenal | Norwegian |
| Marta | Orlando Pride | Brazilian |
| Clara Mateo | Paris FC | French |
| Ewa Pajor | Barcelona | Polish |
| Clàudia Pina | Barcelona | Spanish |
| Alexia Putellas | Barcelona | Spanish |
| Alessia Russo | Arsenal | English |
| Johanna Rytting Kaneryd | Chelsea | Swedish |
| Caroline Weir | Real Madrid | Scottish |
| Leah Williamson | Arsenal | English |
The nominees for this year’s women’s Ballon d’Or
Previous women’s Ballon d’Or results
| 2018 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Ada Hegerberg | Lyon | 136 |
| Second | Pernille Harder | Wolfsburg | 130 |
| Third | Dzsenifer Marozsán | Lyon | 86 |
| 2019 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Megan Rapinoe | Seattle Reign | 230 |
| Second | Lucy Bronze | Lyon | 94 |
| Third | Alex Morgan | Orlando Pride | 68 |
| 2021 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona | 186 |
| Second | Jennifer Hermoso | Barcelona | 84 |
| Third | Sam Kerr | Chelsea | 46 |
| 2022 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona | 178 |
| Second | Beth Mead | Arsenal | 152 |
| Third | Sam Kerr | Chelsea | 74 |
| 2023 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Aitana Bonmatí | Barcelona | 266 |
| Second | Sam Kerr | Chelsea | 87 |
| Third | Salma Paralluelo | Barcelona | 49 |
| 2024 | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Aitana Bonmatí | Barcelona | 675 |
| Second | Caroline Graham Hansen | Barcelona | 392 |
| Third | Salma Paralluelo | Barcelona | 246 |
2025 Men’s Kopa Trophy Nominations
| Player | Club | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Pau Cubarsí | Barcelona | Spanish |
| Ayyoub Bouaddi | Lille | French |
| Désiré Doué | Paris Saint-Germain | French |
| Estêvão Willian | Palmeiras* | Brazilian |
| Dean Huijsen | Bournemouth** | Spanish |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | Arsenal | English |
| Rodrigo Mora | Porto | Portuguese |
| João Neves | Paris Saint-Germain | Portuguese |
| Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | Spanish |
| Kenan Yıldız | Juventus | Turkish |
The nominees for this year’s men’s Kopa Trophy
Previous men’s Kopa Trophy winners
| Year | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2019 | Matthijs de Ligt | Ajax/Juventus |
| 2020 | Not held | N/A |
| 2021 | Pedri | Barcelona |
| 2022 | Gavi | Barcelona |
| 2023 | Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2024 | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona |
2025 Women’s Kopa Trophy Nominations
| Player | Club | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Michelle Agyemang | Arsenal | English |
| Linda Caicedo | Real Madrid | Colombian |
| Wieke Kaptein | Chelsea | Dutch |
| Claudia Martínez | Club Olimpia | Paraguayan |
| Vicky López | Barcelona | Spanish |
2025 Men’s Yashin Trophy Nominations
| Player | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Alisson Becker | Liverpool | Brazilian |
| Yassine Bounou | Al-Hilal | Moroccan |
| Lucas Chevalier | Lille | French |
| Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | Belgian |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Paris Saint-Germain | Italian |
| Emiliano Martínez | Aston Villa | Argentinian |
| Jan Oblak | Atlético Madrid | Slovenian |
| David Raya | Arsenal | Spanish |
| Matz Sels | Nottingham Forest | Belgian |
| Yann Sommer | Inter Milan | Swiss |
Previous men’s Yashin Trophy winners
| Year | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Alisson | Liverpool |
| 2020 | Not held | N/A |
| 2021 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | Milan/PSG |
| 2022 | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid |
| 2023 | Emiliano Martínez | Aston Villa |
| 2024 | Emiliano Martínez | Aston Villa |
2025 Women’s Yashin Trophy Nominations
| Player | Club | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Ann-Katrin Berger | Gotham FC | German |
| Cata Coll | Barcelona | Spanish |
| Hannah Hampton | Chelsea | English |
| Chiamaka Nnadozie | Paris FC* | Nigerian |
| Daphne van Domselaar | Arsenal | Dutch |
The nominees for this year’s women’s Yashin Trophy
2025 Men’s Club of the Year Nominations
| Club | Country |
|---|---|
| Barcelona | Spain |
| Botafogo | Brazil |
| Chelsea | England |
| Liverpool | England |
| Paris Saint-Germain | France |
Previous men’s Club of the Year winners
| Year | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Chelsea | England |
| 2022 | Manchester City | England |
| 2023 | Manchester City | England |
| 2024 | Real Madrid | Spain |
2025 Women’s Club of the Year Nominations
| Club | Country |
|---|---|
| Arsenal | England |
| Barcelona | Spain |
| Chelsea | England |
| Lyon | France |
| Orlando Pride | United States |
Previous women’s Club of the Year winners
| Year | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2024 | Barcelona | Spain |
2025 Men’s Coach of the Year Nominations
| Coach | Team | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio Conte | Napoli | Italian |
| Luis Enrique | Paris Saint-Germain | Spanish |
| Hansi Flick | Barcelona | German |
| Enzo Maresca | Chelsea | Italian |
| Arne Slot | Liverpool | Dutch |
Previous men’s Coach of the Year winner
| Year | Coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Carlo Ancelotti | Real Madrid |
2025 Women’s Coach of the Year Nominations
| Coach | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Sonia Bompastor | Chelsea | French |
| Arthur Elias | Brazil | Brazilian |
| Justine Madugu | Nigeria | Nigerian |
| Renée Slegers | Arsenal | Dutch |
| Sarina Wiegman | England | Dutch |
Previous women’s Coach of the Year winner
| Year | Coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Emma Hayes | Chelsea/United States |
Sócrates Award
This award is given based on the best humanitarian work done by a footballer worldwide. There are no nominations.
Previous Sócrates Award winners
| Year | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Sadio Mané | Liverpool |
| 2023 | Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid |
| 2024 | Jennifer Hermoso | Tigres UANL |
Gerd Müller Trophy
This trophy is awarded to the highest-scoring footballer from the previous season. considering goals scored both for their club and national teams.
Previous Gerd Müller Trophy winners
| Year | Player | Club | Country | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Poland | 69 |
| 2022 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Poland | 57 |
| 2023 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | Norway | 56 |
| 2024= | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | England | 52 |
| 2024= | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | France | 52 |
Follow the best predictions for the Ballon d’Or and discover who will be crowned the best footballers in the world in 2025.
Check the Marathonbet Sportsbook for all the latest football odds from leagues and competitions taking place around the world.
You can also read about all the important sporting competitions, including previews, tips and predictions, and much more, in our blog.
