Ballon D’or 2025 Ranking: Top 10 Golden Ball Contenders (July Rankings!)

The Ballon d’Or is undoubtedly the most prestigious individual honour in football. While for some, the expectations were not met, for a lot of football fans, the authorities have crowned the rightful winner in 2024. The evening was full of football shenanigans, from teams refusing to attend the ceremony to players raising their voices about what they believed. Here, we attempt to look at the Ballon d’Or 2025 rankings based on performances in the current season.

While the individual brilliance has already been awarded to one of the best players from last season, due to the season-long injury, Rodri is less likely to defend his crown. Nonetheless, there are new contenders in line to get their hands on the accolade, such as the likes of Raphinha, Mohamed Salah, and Kylian Mbappe, who are a few big names on the list. As the top-flight football season comes to a close, the world will witness a new Ballon d’Or winner on September 22, 2025, in Paris. So, what do the Ballon d’Or 2025 rankings top 10 look like? In this post, we will have a closer look at it.

Ballon D’or 2025 Power Rankings (Updated List)

The Ballon d’Or 2025 race is heating up as the race is nearing to finish line. The event is set to take place in September, still, this time, people are unable to find a clear winner before the event. We at Sportsdunia tried to give a glimpse of what’s going to happen at the Gala. The table below shows the Ballon d’Or 2025 ranking based on stats and fans’ sentiments as well. Because we all know the Ballon d’Or is not awarded to the best player stat-wise!

Rank	Player Name	Club	Country	Age	G + A	CL Team Finish Stage	Trophies
10	Robert Lewandowski	Barcelona	Poland	36	45	Semi Finalist	1× La Liga, 1× Spanish Super Cup, 1× Copa del Rey
9	Vitinha	PSG	Portugal	25	13	Winner	1× Ligue 1, 1× Trophée des Champions, 1× UCL, 1× Coupe de France, 1× UNL
8	Vinicius Jr.	Real Madrid	Brazil	24	41	Quarter Finalist	1× UEFA Super Cup
7	Jude Bellingham	Real Madrid	England	21	30	Quarter Finalist	1× UEFA Super Cup
6	Harry Kane	Bayern Munich	England	31	55	Quarter Finalist	1× Bundesliga
5	Kylian Mbappe	Real Madrid	France	26	44	Quarter Finalist	1× Super Cup
4	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	Egypt	32	56	Round 16	1× Premier League
3	Raphinha	Barcelona	Brazil	28	59	Semi Finalist	1× La Liga, 1× Spanish Super Cup, 1× Copa del Rey
2	Lamine Yamal	Barcelona	Spain	17	43	Semi Finalist	1× La Liga, 1× Spanish Super Cup, 1× Copa del Rey
1	Ousmane Dembele	PSG	France	28	46	Winner	1× Ligue 1, 1× Trophée des Champions, 1× UCL, 1× Coupe de France

Criteria Behind Ballon d’Or Ranking 2025

The table below explains the ranking criteria used for listing the 2025 Ballon d’Or power rankings. These factors evaluate players based on their individual and team achievements throughout the season. They include factors such as goals, assists, leadership, and impact in major competitions. After analyzing the key stats and figures, we were able to curate the Ballon d’Or 2025 power rankings.

Weight	Factor	Why It Matters	Source
30%	Individual Stats	Individual stats are measured to evaluate the consistency of a player in domestic leagues through their goals, assists and other advance metrics.	Transfermarkt
20%	CL Player Stats	This helps us in evaluating the impact of players in the UEFA Champions League (goals & assists). Their ability to perform under pressure.	Fotmob
25%	Major Trophies Won	Major trophies won during the year provide an edge to a player while evaluating, as this shows how influential he has been for his team during crucial or crunch games.	Official Team Website
25%	International Stats	Evaluates the contribution of a player for his national team during key matches and tournaments.	Transfermarkt

Ballon d’Or 2025 Rankings Top 10

Now that we’ve explained how the top 10 best players in the Ballon d’Or 2025 rankings were evaluated using our ranking factors, it’s time to explore what these players achieved to distinguish themselves in the Ballon d’Or 2025 rankings this year.

10. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona & La Liga)

Our Ballon d’Or 2025 power rankings start with a Polish striker who had a phenomenal 42-goal tally and 3 assists for the Blaugrana in the recently concluded season. Do we need to give a reason why Robert Lewandowski should not be a strong contender? He has seen it all and done it all. The last time he was in the Ballon d’Or race, he was bested by Messi to be the crowned winner. The Polish player has the most goals for FC Barcelona this season, and he was once leading the Pichichi race too, only to get overtaken by Kylian Mbappe in the last days of La Liga.

This year, the Polish International is proving to be getting his form back. The Pole had struggled under Xavi, but he has risen from the ashes under Hansi Flick. His recent amazing performance came against Los Blancos, where he scored twice. As the season progresses, he will add more goals to his name and punch his ticket to the 2025 Ballon d’Or ranking. He has won the Domestic Treble with FC Barcelona and was the key contributor in many of FC Barcelona’s matches. Though the player performed badly in some of the games, which made his rating go below the 7.30 mark.

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
52	42	3	7.24

9. Vitinha (PSG & Ligue 1)

Do we have to talk about his goal contribution or his insane game-reading ability? The Portuguese had been unreal since the arrival of Luis Enrique at the club. This season, Paris Saint-Germain has defied all odds and has finally got their hands on the UEFA Champions League trophy, which the club desired the most for so long. But the limelight was always on Dembele, Desire Doue and Joao Neves, but it was Vitinha who was silently working in the field. Though his goal contribution might not be that high but his play in the middle, to pick runs, defending the ball, and reading the flow is what makes him one of the best.

With PSG winning the league, domestic cups, as well as the UEFA Champions League, he had a terrific season. But what truly made the difference is the UEFA Nations League final victory against Spain recently. Vitinha has carried his ‘A’ form into the Club World Cup, where his vision mixed with skills is proving to be pivotal in PSG’s run. Although he’s not a favorite to finish in the top 5 in our Ballon d’Or 2025 power rankings but you never know with the new standards for deciding the winner.

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
56	8	5	7.50

8. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid & La Liga)

Contrary to the expectations of himself and others, Vinicious was not crowned the winner last year. Real Madrid‘s star boy hasn’t given up on his ambitions and has been working towards achieving the feat. The Brazilian winger has 22 goals and 19 assists this season. As the season is on verge of getting over, everyone is slamming the player including the Los Blancos fans that he didn’t work half of what he promised after last year Ballon d’Or alleged robbery, “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready” that’s what Vinicius Tweeted after Rodri won the Ballon d’Or. However, a 41 G/A season is considered a good season for any forward.

Vinicius Jr. won the UEFA Super Cup earlier this season, and the winger was in good form this campaign. The player has a G+A of 41, which is average for someone of his stature. However, many fans think that he is a victim of the ‘Galacticos 2.0’, a squad consisting of star players like Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. Still, the player is trying to improve, as seen in the Club World Cup. His CWC campaign so far is going in the right direction, where he seems to be a key factor in the club’s success in the competition. Still, the player has managed to pull a 7.34 rating throughout the season and stood up on many occasions for the team.

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
56	22	19	7.34

Also Read: List of all men’s Ballon d’Or winners so far

7. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid & La Liga)

The English midfielder keeps on getting better each season. In the 2024-25 season so far, he has 15 assists and 15 goals. There’s a reason why the Madrid fans hail him as one of the best players in the world at just 21. Jude Bellingham has been their key player and remained an undisputed starter in Carlo Ancelotti’s lineup. The changed role, which made him do some defensive duties too, impacted his goal tally; otherwise player was capable of entering the top 5 of the Ballon d’Or 2025 ranking. The new Spanish manager Xabi Alonso has also put his money on the midfielder and has expected him to do the same as he has done in the previous seasons.

The 21-year-old is the dominant figure in the midfield; his toughness to fight for the ball, phenomenal work rate, coupled with an eye for scoring goals, is what makes him a useful cog for the defending La Liga and European champions. Moreover, the midfielder has bonded well with the likes of Mbappe and Vinicius. Bellingham took his impressive form to the Club World Cup, where he has scored 1 goal and provided 1 assist in 4 appearances so far. With an average rating of 75.4, which tells how consistent he was in a disastrous season for Real Madrid. The player only has a single trophy, which he won in 2024.

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
56	15	15	7.54

6. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich & Bundesliga)

While the Bavarians had struggled in the initial phase of the domestic league, they managed to win the league at last. Harry Kane has delivered an expected performance for FC Bayern Munich. Despite being 31, there is no sign of stopping the Englishman. Under the newly appointed coach, Vincent Kompany, he has shone with 41 goals and 14 assists, which pretty much speaks for itself. Where fans thought he would bring the ‘Trophy Curse” with him, he made sure that he stood up in important matches for his team and finally won his first major trophy with Bayern Munich.

The 31-year-old last year claimed the Bundesliga Golden Boot last season. This term, the striker racked up goals for fun in the top German division, moving towards his second successive golden boot. The rating of 7.55 tells how consistent he was throughout the season. FC Bayern Munich also displayed a decent performance in the UCL before getting knocked out by Inter Milan in a close encounter. The English striker has continued his goal-scoring streak in the ongoing Club World Cup where he has scored 3 goals and 1 assist in total. However, his chances to climb the Ballon d’Or 2025 power rankings seem impossible even if Bayern is crowned as the champions of the world..

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
50	41	14	7.55

5. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid & La Liga)

The Mbappe-Real Madrid transfer saga finally ended in the summer of 2024. When the Frenchman joined Los Blancos, it raised eyebrows about how Ancelotti would manage with two world-class left-wingers on the same team. Kylian Mbappe was welcomed by the UEFA Super Cup triumph. The Frenchman has a G+A of 48, making him the only protagonist for Real Madrid in our 2025 Ballon d’Or power rankings.

Neutral Fans are also happy to see his behaviour – where the whole Madrid team was complaining about the refs, he was the one who took the responsibility and almost made FC Barcelona lose the last El Clásico. While the Frenchman has upped the level of his game in an instant and fortunately regained his confidence back and is enjoying an amazing scoring spree for the Spanish Champions, he scored a superb hat-trick to knock out Man City from the UEFA Champions League. 

However, the Frenchman may increase his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or by winning the Club World Cup, where he has only 1 appearance for Los Blancos as of now due to injury, but it’s quite clear that he won’t be winning the prestigious award this time. The player has the highest rating among Madrid players, which shows his performance despite an Unfortunate season.

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
57	43	5	7.58

4. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Premier League)

Nobody knows why Mohamed Salah was not among the nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2025 rankings. It would be a disaster for the authorities if someone wanted to reason this argument with statistics. The Egyptian king has already netted 34 goals and 23 assists in the recently concluded season, leading Liverpool to the top of the Premier League. Mohamed Salah has also won the PFA award for the second time, which made him go shoulder to shoulder with Thierry Henry. With the given stats and a Premier League title, the player ranks 4th in our Power Ranking list.

The 32-year-old has proven to be decisive in the important league. The last time the trophy was won by an African was back in 1995 when George Weah was crowned. Will history be written again in 2025? According to our 2025 Ballon d’Or power rankings, maybe. But with the recent EFL Cup final loss and Champions League heartbreak, his chances look dicey.

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
52	34	23	7.62

3. Raphinha (Barcelona & La Liga)

If there is an example of the right mindset guiding you to the right path, it is Raphinha. Ever since the days of Leeds, the Brazilian has shown to have a strong character and principles. On his arrival at Barcelona, the former Leeds attacker initially struggled a little with Xavi Ball, but under Hansi Flick and has been on fire. The Leeds United player just showed what a player can achieve with high ambition. The player showed true leadership skills, too, by guiding the team from the front.

He has made the Spanish pundits rethink the discussion for the best Winger in the League. He had 34 goals and 25 assists in the recently concluded season. The Brazilian played his best football, and if we speak about momentum, he might spoil a lot of players’ parties in the Ballon d’Or 2025 ranking by emerging as a top candidate. The player has the highest rating on our list of 7.81. The only thing missing from his cabinet is the UCL trophy, which made him slip from first to third in our rankings. Deco, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, has included the Brazilian in his 2025 Ballon d’Or ranking.

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
57	34	25	7.81

2. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona & La Liga)

At number 2 in our Ballon d’Or 2025 power rankings, we have Lamine Yamal. Crowned champion for the Kopa trophy this year, Lamine Yamal had a breakout season. The La Masia sensation already had outlets talking before the Euros began and after the 2024 European Championship success. However, if you ever tune in to La Liga, you will know how special the teenager is. His exceptional performance during key games like El Clásico, the UEFA Champions League knockout games, as well as the most recent, the UEFA Nations League, where Spain reached the final, is what sets him apart from his competitors.

He has 18 goals and 25 assists in the 2024-25 season. From smooth movements to amazing agility, he has everything to be better and better as time passes. And with such a strong team and coach behind him, not only is he the frontrunner for this year, but also years to come if he continues to perform like this. He has already won 2 La Liga trophies at 17 and completed the domestic treble at such a young age.

The player’s attitude is to give a befitting reply by performing and not with words to his rivals and players who silently mock him by liking Instagram posts, making him the best baller in the world right now. Many ex-players and veterans have vouched for Lamine Yamal for the Ballon d’Or 2025. One of such personalities is Marcus Rashford. Rashford said, “If it’s based purely on ability, then yes, Lamine Yamal has to win it,”

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
55	18	25	7.64

1. Ousmane Dembele (PSG & Ligue 1)

The arrival of Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain has changed things for the better for the players and the club. Be it the discipline or passion, the club has been very different this season. Among the warriors, Ousmane Dembele has been leading the team by example with his extraordinary performances for the Parisians. The Parisian has completed the Quadruple this season, winning two domestic titles and one European trophy.

The French International has bagged 33 goals and provided 15 assists so far in the season, which includes the FIFA Club World Cup, including two sensational hat-tricks in the Champions League and Ligue 1. The winger played an important role for the French giants, as they grabbed their first-ever European glory (UEFA Champions League) on the back of a brilliant campaign. The player has a rating of 7.9, which displays his consistent performance throughout the year. It’s going to be a tough battle between him and the No. 2 on our list of the Ballon d’Or 2025 power ranking.

Before the Parisian side moved to the USA for their FIFA Club World Cup campaign, Luis Enrique, the current coach, backed Dembele and said that “Dembele deserves it”. Talking about Dembele’s form in the CWC, he is yet to contribute. However, if PSG went on to win the Club World Cup, it would make Ousmane Dembele a clear winner of the Ballon d’Or.

Appearances	Goals	Assists	Average Rating
50	33	15	7.9

Ballon D’or 2025 Ranking Honorary Mentions

The Ballon d’Or 2025 honorary mentions highlight players with outstanding performances in the 2024–25 season, recognized for their contributions despite not topping the final rankings.

S No	Player Name	Club	Country	Age	G + A	CL Team Finish Stage	Trophies
1	Florian Wirtz	Bayer Leverkusen	Germany	22	31	Round of 16	German Super Cup
2	Alexander Isak	Newcastle United	Sweden	25	33	DNP	Carabao Cup
3	Lautaro Martinez	Inter Milan	Argentina	27	31	Finalist	None
4	Virgil van Dijk	Liverpool	Netherlands	33	6	Round of 16	Premier League
5	Pedri	Barcelona	Spain	22	14	Semi Finalist	La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, Copa Del Rey

Where to watch Ballon d’Or 2025

This time Ballon d’Or 2025 ceremony is set to take place on 22nd September 2025. If you have read our article so far, chances are high that you are excited or interested in watching the Ballon d’Or ceremony. No worries, we’ve got you covered. No matter which region you belong we have curated a list of broadcasters who stream the Ballon d’Or Ceremony.

Country	Where to Watch
International	L’Equipe YouTube
USA	Paramount+, CBS Golazo Network
India	Sony Liv
Spain	Movistar+

Also Read: Ranking the 10 youngest Ballon d’Or winners in history

FAQs