The preliminary list of nominees for the 2025 Ballon d’Or was devoid of the names of several players who performed exceptionally well throughout the season, which has once again raised questions about the credibility of France Football.
For the second year in a row, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are absent from the nominees. However, when it comes to the Flea and the Ronaldo, this is neither unfair nor surprising, given that they both play outside Europe and have not achieved any notable accomplishments in the past year.
The list featured several Paris Saint-Germain stars. Despite Real Madrid’s poor form, three Los Blancos players made their debuts, along with outstanding scorers such as Serhou Guirassy of Dortmund and Victor Gjokeres of Sporting Lisbon (who recently joined Arsenal).
Now, we review five players who were unfairly excluded from the 2025 FIFA World Player of the Year list, despite their outstanding performances at club and international level.
Bradley Barcola
Barcola was one of Paris Saint-Germain’s most prominent stars, and his contribution was no less significant than that of, for example, Desiree Douet or Fabian Ruiz, both of whom are on the list, while the Frenchman was inexplicably excluded.
Over the course of last season, Barcola participated in 66 matches in all competitions, scoring 21 goals and providing the same number of assists. These statistics confirm his offensive influence and how he deserved to at least be on the preliminary list.
Moises Caicedo
France Football paid special attention to the impact of the Club World Cup in its selections for all 2025 Ballon d’Or awards. This resulted in the inclusion of coach Enzo Maresca and Cole Palmer from Chelsea, but the strange thing was the absence of Chelsea captain Moises Caicedo.
The 23-year-old’s impressive performances and tremendous consistency, particularly in the World Cup, make it unfair to exclude him, given that he played 50 games for the Blues last season and was a key factor in the team’s success in finishing fourth in the Premier League.
Fede Valverde
It is undoubtedly strange that Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior were chosen, while Fede Valverde’s name was not included!
The Uruguayan played the most matches for Real Madrid last season, and his performance was clearly better than Bellingham and Vinicius, and his impact was also greater. If any Real Madrid player besides Mbappé, given the disappointing season, deserves to be among the best in the world, it would undoubtedly be Valverde.
Jules Kounde
Would Declan Rice in Arsenal’s midfield or Denzel Dumfries on Inter’s right flank have fared better than Kounde, who made incredible defensive contributions for Barcelona and has developed significantly offensively under coach Hansi Flick?
The Frenchman’s performance was impressive, and his consistency was the best feature of his career overall. Perhaps the numbers do him justice, as he played 53 matches in all competitions for Barcelona, scoring four goals and providing six assists.
Omar Marmoush
The player most unfairly excluded from the 2025 Ballon d’Or shortlist was Egyptian star Omar Marmoush, especially considering how he was nearly the best player in the world midway through last season with Eintracht Frankfurt.
With the German club, Marmoush played 26 matches across the Bundesliga, German Cup, and Europa League, scoring 20 goals and providing 14 assists, all from September to December alone!
Even upon his move to City, Marmoush performed well despite the significant differences between the Premier League and the Bundesliga. In 25 matches, he scored 8 goals for Pep Guardiola’s side. Overall, his goal contributions were higher than those of Erling Haaland and players like Vinicius Junior, Serhou Guirassy, and Jude Bellingham, making his exclusion all the more incomprehensible.
