30 Stars, One Trophy: Meet the Nominees for the 2025 Ballon d'Or

Muhe - Saturday, 16 August 2025 | 01:00 PM (WIB)

30 Stars, One Trophy: Meet the Nominees for the 2025 Ballon d'Or

90 MIN FOOTBALL - The world's highest football award, the Ballon d'Or, has released its 30 nominees for the 2025 award for the best footballer in the world.While in previous decades the nominations have always been dominated by two megastars: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, this time those two names are not included in the list.The award for the best footballer in the world in 2025 will be announced at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on September 22, 2025. This will be even more exciting because the announced nominations feature a wide array of names, making the competition even more exciting, as no single player will truly dominate.

List of 30 Nominees for the 2025 Ballon d'Or

Here is the complete list of the 30 players nominated for the 2025 Ballon d'Or:

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid & Inggris)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain & Prancis)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain & Italia)
Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain & Prancis)
Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan & Belanda)
Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund & Guinea)
Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal & Swedia)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City & Norwegia)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain & Maroko)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich & Inggris)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain & Georgia)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona & Polandia)
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool & Argentina)
Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan & Argentina)
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid & Prancis)
Scott McTominay (Napoli & Skotlandia)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal)
João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich & Prancis)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea & Inggris)
Pedri (Barcelona & Spanyol)
Raphinha (Barcelona & Brasil)
Declan Rice (Arsenal & Inggris)
Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain & Spanyol)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Mesir)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool & Belanda)
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid & Brasil)
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal)
Florian Wirtz (Liverpool & Jerman)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona & Spanyol)

Analysis of the Strongest Candidates and Surprises

Looking at the list above, some names immediately stand out as strong contenders, while others are surprising.Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) have been in the spotlight after leading their teams to the Champions League title. Both players' individual performances throughout the season have been remarkably consistent, with Vini Jr. being decisive in crucial moments, while Bellingham brings energy and goals from midfield.From the Bundesliga, Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) and Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund) have made the cut for their prowess in front of goal. Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz, who has impressed with Bayer Leverkusen and now Liverpool, is also a strong contender.Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé has surprisingly emerged as one of the favorites, beating out many big names. Along with fellow PSG players Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi, he leads PSG's dominance in the nominations.The biggest surprises came from Scott McTominay, now playing for Napoli, and Désiré Doué, who plays for PSG. Their inclusion demonstrates recognition for performances that aren't always under the spotlight.Meanwhile, sensational young players like Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) also made their mark, proving that their young age is no barrier to competing at the highest level.The awards ceremony will be held this coming September, where one of these 30 players will make their mark in football history.***