After much anticipation, France Football magazine has announced the list of nominees for the 2025 Ballon d’Or to honor the world’s best player.
The 2024 award was one of the most controversial, with all indications pointing to Vinicius Junior winning it after winning La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid. Then, on the night of the awards ceremony, everyone was surprised by Rodri’s victory.
The list, announced on Thursday, includes 30 names, and will be reduced by more than half next month. It will then be narrowed down to just three names, as usual, a few days before the ceremony.
The first nominee for the award is Ousmane Dembélé, who led Paris Saint-Germain to the treble. Most polls still predict that he will win the 2025 Ballon d’Or, especially given the strong support campaign his club is leading.
The second nominee is Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, also nominated for the Best Young Player in the World award. The third nominee is Raphinha, for the duo’s combined contributions to Barça’s domestic treble.
The list includes Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappé, and Jude Bellingham, as well as Désiré Douet, Denzel, Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, and several Paris Saint-Germain stars.
The full list is below. The winners of all 2025 Ballon d’Or awards will be announced on September 22 in Paris.
2025 Ballon d’Or Nominees
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain, Italy)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
Désiré Doue (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Denzel Dumfries (Inter, Netherlands)
Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund, Guinea)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting Lisbon, Sweden)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain, Georgia)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona, Poland)
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool, Argentina)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter, Argentina)
Scott McTominay (Napoli, Scotland)
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, Spain)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain / Portugal)
Pedri (Barcelona / Spain)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea / England)
Michael Oliseh (Bayern Munich / France)
Raphinha (Barcelona / Brazil)
Declan Rice (Arsenal / England)
Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain / Spain)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool / Netherlands)
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid / Brazil)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool / Egypt)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen / Germany)
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
