France Football has released the Ballon d’Or 2025 nominees shortlist for both men’s and women’s football. This edition features more young players who have shown outstanding performances in major competitions and have also been consistent with performances throughout the season.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d’Or for a long period of time, and it’s almost like their era is over, as both are not expected to make top rankings this year. The award shifted to be a competition between Messi and Ronaldo for almost 16 years.
As the new era of Ballon d’Or is about to be fun, let us remind you that Lionel Messi still remains the only player with the most Ballon d’Or in football history, winning 8. He won his last Ballon d’Or in 2023 after winning the World Cup for Argentina.
In 2024, the spotlight shifted, and Rodri from Manchester City won while many were expecting Vinicius Jr from Real Madrid to win.
Ballon d’Or 2025 nominees list
This is the year we have an 18-year-old Lamine Yamal rubbing shoulders with the big players like Kylian Mbappe, Mohammed Salah, Dembele, and others for the award.
Men’s Ballon d’Or 2025 Nominees: Complete List of Nominees
They’re the best players in the world… here are our 2025 Ballon d’Or nominees!
| Player | Pos | Nationality | Club (Nation) | Age |
| Lamine Yamal | FWD | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 18 |
| Ousmane Dembele | FWD | France | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 28 |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | GK | Italy | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 26 |
| Desire Doue | FWD | France | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 20 |
| Denzel Dumfries | RB | Netherlands | Inter Milan (ITA) | 29 |
| Serhou Guirassy | FWD | Guinea | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 29 |
| Jude Bellingham | CM | England | Real Madrid (ESP) | 22 |
| Viktor Gyokeres | FWD | Sweden | Sporting CP (POR) | 27 |
| Erling Haaland | FWD | Norway | Manchester City (ENG) | 25 |
| Achraf Hakimi | RB | Morocco | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 26 |
| Harry Kane | FWD | England | Bayern Munich (GER) | 32 |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | FWD | Georgia | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 24 |
| Robert Lewandowski | FWD | Poland | Barcelona (ESP) | 36 |
| Alexis Mac Allister | CM | Argentina | Liverpool (ENG) | 26 |
| Lautaro Martinez | FWD | Argentina | Inter Milan (ITA) | 27 |
| Kylian Mbappe | FWD | France | Real Madrid (ESP) | 26 |
| Scott McTominay | CM | England | Napoli (ITA) | 28 |
| Nuno Mendes | LB | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 23 |
| Joao Neves | CM | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 20 |
| Michael Olise | FWD | France | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 |
| Cole Palmer | ACM | England | Chelsea (ENG) | 23 |
| Pedri | CM | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 22 |
| Declan Rice | CM | England | Liverpool (ENG) | 26 |
| Fabian Ruiz | CM | Spain | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 29 |
| Raphinha | FWD | Brazil | Barcelona (ESP) | 28 |
| Mohamed Salah | FWD | Egypt | Liverpool (ENG) | 33 |
| Virgil van Dijk | CB | Netherlands | Liverpool (ENG) | 34 |
| Vinicius Jr. | FWD | Brazil | Real Madrid (ESP) | 25 |
| Vitinha | CM | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 25 |
| Florian Wirtz | ACM | Germany | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 22 |
Top Contenders and Favorites to Win Ballon d’Or 2025
| Player | Club | National team |
| Ousmane Dembele | Paris Saint-Germain | France |
| Lamine Yamal | FC Barcelona | Spain |
| Vitinha | Paris Saint-Germain | Portugal |
| Raphinha | FC Barcelona | Brazil |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Egypt |
| Kylian Mbappe | Real Madrid | France |
| Achraf Hakimi | Paris Saint-Germain | Morocc |
| Desire Doue | Paris Saint-Germain | France |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Paris Saint-Germain | Georgia |
| Nuno Mendes | Paris Saint-Germain | France |
Women’s Ballon d’Or 2025 Nominees: Full Shortlist of Players
They’re the best female players of the world… here are our 2025 Women’s Ballon d’Or nominees!
| Player | Pos | Nationality | Club (Nation) | Age |
| Sandy Baltimore | FWD | France | Chelsea (ENG) | 25 |
| Barbara Banda | FWD | Zambia | Orlando Pride (USA) | 25 |
| Aitana Bonmati | FWD | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 27 |
| Lucy Bronze | RB | England | Chelsea (ENG) | 33 |
| Klara Buhl | FWD | Germany | Bayern Munich (GER) | 24 |
| Mariona Caldentey | ACM | Spain | Arsenal (ENG) | 29 |
| Sofia Cantore | FWD | Italy | Juventus/Washington Spirit | 25 |
| Steph Catley | CB | Australia | Arsenal (ENG) | 31 |
| Temwa Chawinga | FWD | Malawi | Kansas City Current (USA) | 26 |
| Melchie Dumornay | FWD | Haiti | Lyon (FRA) | 22 |
| Emily Fox | RB | USA | Arsenal (ENG) | 27 |
| Cristiana Girella | FWD | Italy | Juventus (ITA) | 35 |
| Esther Gonzalez | FWD | Spain | Gotham FC (USA) | 32 |
| Caroline Graham Hansen | FWD | Norway | Barcelona (ESP) | 30 |
| Patri Guijarro | CM | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 27 |
| Amanda Gutierres | FWD | Brazil | Palmeiras (BRA) | 24 |
| Hannah Hampton | GK | England | Chelsea (ENG) | 24 |
| Pernille Harder | FWD | Denmark | Bayern Munich (GER) | 32 |
| Lindsey Heaps | CM | USA | Lyon (FRA) | 31 |
| Chloe Kelly | FWD | England | Arsenal (ENG) | 27 |
| Frida Leonhardsen Maanum | CM | Norway | Arsenal (ENG) | 26 |
| Marta | FWD | Brazil | Orlando Pride (USA) | 39 |
| Clara Mateo | FWD | France | Paris FC (FRA) | 27 |
| Ewa Pajor | FWD | Poland | Barcelona (ESP) | 28 |
| Claudia Pina | FWD | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 23 |
| Alexia Putellas | CM | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 31 |
| Alessia Russo | FWD | England | Arsenal (ENG) | 26 |
| Johanna Rytting Kaneryd | FWD | Sweden | Chelsea (ENG) | 28 |
| Caroline Weir | CM | Scotland | Real Madrid (ESP) | 30 |
| Leah Williamson | CB | England | Arsenal (ENG) | 28 |
List of nominees for 2025 Men’s Kopa Trophy
They are the best U21 footballers in the world… here are our 2025 Kopa Trophy nominees!
| Player | Club | National team |
| Lamine Yamal | FC Barcelona | Spain |
| Joao Neves | Paris Saint-Germain | Portugal |
| Rodrigo Mora | Porto | Portugal |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | Arsenal | England |
| Kenan Yildiz | Juventus | Turkish national team |
| Ayyoub Bouaddi | Lille | France |
| Pau Cubarsi | FC Barcelona | Spain |
| Désiré Doué | Paris Saint-Germain | France |
| Estevao | Chelsea | Brazil |
| Dean Huijsen | Real Madrid | Spain |
Yashin Trophy 2025 list of nominees for world’s best goalkeeper
| Player | Club | National Team |
| Alisson Becker | Liverpool | Brazil |
| Yassine Bounou | Al Hilal | Morocco |
| Lucas Chevalier | Lille | France |
| Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | Belgium |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Paris Saint-Germain | Italy |
| Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| Jan Oblak | Atlético Madrid | Spain |
| David Raya | Arsenal | Spain |
| Matz Sels | Nottingham Forest | Belgium |
| Yann Sommer | Inter Milan | Switzerland |
Ballon d’Or 2025 Nominees for men’s coach of the year
They’re the best coaches of the world… here are our 2025 nominees for the Men’s Team Coach of the Year Trophy!
| Coach | Team |
| Antonio Conte | Napoli |
| Luis Enrique | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Hansi Flick | FC Barcelona |
| Enzo Maresca | Chelsea |
| Arne Slot | Liverpool |
Ballon d’Or 2025 Nominees for Women’s Kopa Trophy
They are the best U21 female footballers in the world… here are our 2025 Women’s Kopa Trophy nominees!
| Player | Club | National team |
| Michelle Agyemang | Arsenal | England |
| Linda Caicedo | Real Madrid | Colombian |
| Wieke Kaptein | Chelsea | Netherlands |
| Vicky Lopez | FC Barcelona | Spain |
| Claudia Martinez Ovando | Club Olimpia | Paraguay |
2025 Women’s Yachine Trophy nominees
They’re the best goalkeepers…here are our 2025 Women’s Yachine Trophy nominees!
| Player | Club | National team |
| Ann-Katrin Berger | Gotham FC | Germany |
| Cata Coll | FC Barcelona | Spain |
| Hannah Hampton | Chelsea | England |
| Chiamaka Nnadozie | Paris FC | France |
| Daphne van Domselaar | Arsenal | Netherlands |
2025 nominees for the Women’s Team Coach of the Year Trophy
They’re the best coaches of the world… here are our 2025 nominees for the Women’s Team Coach of the Year Trophy!
| Coach | Team |
| Sonia Bompastor | Chelsea |
| Arthur Elias | Brazil |
| Justine Madugu | Nigeria |
| Renée Slegers | Arsenal |
| Sarina Wiegman | England |
List of nominees for the 2025 Men’s Club of the Year
| Club | Country |
| FC Barcelona | Spain |
| Paris Saint-Germain | France |
| Liverpool | England |
| Chelsea | England |
| Botafogo | Brazil |
Ballon d’Or 2025 Nominees for Women’s Club of the Year
| Club | Country |
| Arsenal | England |
| FC Barcelona | Spain |
| Chelsea | England |
| Orlando Pride | United States of America |
| OL Lyonnes | France |
When Will the Ballon d’Or 2025 Winner Be Announced?
The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner will be announced on September 22, 2025, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
