Ballon D'Or 2025: A-Z Of Golden Ball Featuring Ousmane Dembele, Lionel Messi And Raphinha
A fresh winner is set to be crowned at the Ballon d'Or 2025 ceremony.
Ousmane Dembele? Why not. The Theatre du Chatelet is set to twinkle under the Parisian night sky for the 69th edition of the Ballon d'Or on Monday. Hosted by Dutch icon Ruud Gullit and sports presenter Kate Scott, the gala ceremony will reportedly mark the return of Ronaldinho as the Barcelona legend and former Ballon d'Or winner is rumoured to unveil the men's winner in Paris.
Lionel Messi wept when La Pulga claimed a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023. Rodri's 2024 triumph, fuelled by Euro 2024 glory, was a quieter affair for Manchester City's midfield linchpin. Yet, for football's passionate fans, the Ballon d'Or is gloriously imperfect. Accusations of Eurocentrism, narrative bias, and snubs such as Robert Lewandowski's 2020 heartbreak trigger endless debates.
That's its magic: a flawed mirror of football's soul, poised to crown a new successor like Yamal or Dembele in 2025. Like it or not, whoever is the next owner of the golden ball will remain a top draw in world football. With votes from 100 global journalists crystallising into gold, let's journey through its A-to-Z, exploring the Ballon d'Or's essence letter by letter.
A - Achraf
Rodri knows that having a selfless spark of genius can help contenders have a shot at history in Paris. Achraf Hakimi created 108 chances from open play across all competitions. In the top five European leagues, no defender came close to the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) full-back as only Raphinha upstaged the former Real Madrid defender with a remarkable tally of 120.
B - Bonmati
Aitana Bonmati, aka the Barcelona maestro, is defending her women's crown. How good was her 2024/25 season? Bonmati has 12 goals and 6 assists in her bid to secure a third successive Golden Ball. The Spanish superstar netted the winner in the UEFA Euro semi-final. However, the defending champion missed out on two major accolades.
C - Ceremony
Cancelled in 2020 (apologies again, Lewandowski), the Ballon d'Or is presented annually by France Football since 1956. Paris has the same gilded stage since 2019. For the second year running, it is backed by UEFA's co-sponsorship. UEFA's involvement also added two new awards: a men's and women's coach of the year.
D - Dembele (who else?)
After Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema, it's Dembele, who has emerged as the next French frontrunner for the Golden Ball. Why is the dazzling winger a co-favourite with Lamine Yamal? Dembele scripted a redemption story by securing PSG's Ligue 1, Coupe de France and UEFA Champions League treble in the 2024-25 season. When Dembele was not busy scoring (35) for PSG, the Frenchman assisted (14) 49 goals in 53 outings. In his Champions League masterclass, the former Barcelona star netted 14 goals.
E - Evolution
Luka Modric ended the dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by lifting the famous trophy after a blockbuster season in 2018. Post-Messi-Ronaldo duopoly, it's Rodri's 2024 win that signalled a shift: the jury picked a midfield maestro over goal machines or stellar strikers. It's just evolution, Erling...
F - Feuds and Fabian
In the Messi-Ronaldo era, CR7 claimed five golden balls while Leo upstaged Mr Champions League with eight titles. In 2025, it's Dembele vs Yamal. Another rivalry in cards? According to OPTA, PSG's Fabian Ruiz had a pass success rate of 90.3% over almost 4,000 minutes!
G - Gianluigi
Gianluigi Donnarumma maintained clean sheets in over a third of his appearances for PSG (34%). The new Manchester City No.1 kept out 71% of shots over a season. Donnarumma was shown the exit door after the Italian superstopper powered the French giants to Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League titles.
H - Haaland
Goalmachine Erling Haaland netted 34 goals in 48 appearances for Pep Guardiola's crestfallen Manchester City. No Premier League player scored more than him. Haaland also had the best minutes-per-goal ratio (119) among the players who netted at least 15 goals for Premier League clubs.
I - Injustices
Ah, the heartbreaks, Chico.
Robert, this is the third time we are mentioning you. Lewandowski won everything with Bayern Munich, but it wasn't enough for the Ballon d'Or in 2020. Standing tall against a prime Pavel Nedved, Thierry Henry's 2003 snub was nothing but robbery for Arsenal fans. Last year, it was Vinicius Jr.'s fury for Real Madrid faithful.
Football's great what-ifs will still fuel our pub debates for decades.
J - Journalists
It's the hard knock life for us. The Ballon d'Or is decided by a global panel of expert journalists, with one voter per nation from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries for men and top 50 for women, based on rankings. Each juror ranks 10 players from the 30 nominees in order of merit, assigning points as follows: 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, then 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 for the rest.
K - Kopa and Kylian
The under-21 trophy is named after Raymond Kopa, the winner of the 1958 edition. Sarcasm: This section will be updated when Kylian Mbappe wins his first Golden Ball! Capping off a stellar season, Mbappe scored more goals than anyone from Europe's top five leagues.
L - Legacy
Mbappe entered the top 3 of the Ballon d'Or standings in 2023. However, no one talks about podium picks or runner-ups. Messi recorded eight, Ronaldo with his high five, while Johan Cruyff won three. Winners don't just lift it - they create eras. Rodri's 2024 win was a midfield manifesto. Who will join the pantheon of greats?
M - Messi
Messi's World Cup win for the Golden Ball over Haaland sparked fan wars online. In 2025, his arch-rival Ronaldo is also missing from the nod. The previous edition was the first time since 2003 that neither of the two 'GOATs' had been nominated for the prestigious award.
N - Nominees
Thirty men - no, it's not a battle royal. Raphinha's Barcelona blaze was followed by Cole Palmer's Chelsea Club World Cup heroics. The 2025 Ballon d'Or award will crown a fresh winner for the second consecutive year, as last year's recipient (Rodri) was absent from the 30-man shortlist announced earlier in August.
O - Ousmane (again)
"If it were up to me, I'd deliver it to his house," said Mbappe, who backed Ousmane to win the top individual prize in men's football. For PSG boss Luis Enrique, the in-form winger is one such player whom he would have played with during his PlayStation days as a kid. Since January, the 28-year-old netted 25 goals and bagged eight assists (29 matches) in his quest for PSG's maiden Champions League glory this year. Only Mbappe scored more goals than him.
P - Palmer
"Cold" Palmer had five goal involvements in two major finals for Chelsea. The No.10 for the Premier League giants picked up two assists in the Conference League final against Real Betis. Meeting the mighty PSG in the clash of the season, the Chelsea starman fired two goals and an assist to seal a famous Club World Cup final win.
Q - Qatar connection
Qataris will be in Paris. Even though no Qatari player is nominated, the hosts (France Football) and the star-studded gala will benefit from the presence of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), the proud owners of PSG. The QSI era at PSG witnessed the arrival of global superstars and propelled the club towards the elusive golden prize.
R - Raphinha
Raphinha's red-hot form was only challenged by Mohamed Salah, who registered more goal involvements in all competitions than the Barcelona forward (56). The former Leeds United star fired 34 goals and produced 22 assists last season. The Brazilian also matched Ronaldo's record for the most goal involvements (21) in a Champions League season.
Honourable mention: Will Ronaldo go down as the greatest player in the history of the Champions League? With five UCL titles, Ronaldo also won as many Ballon d'Ors while headlining the world-class lineup of Real Madrid and Manchester United. In 2017, CR7 matched Messi's incredible feat of winning the Golden Ball on five occasions. The Manchester United icon also secured the Puskas Award in 2009 for his outrageous strike against Porto.
S - Salah
Salah, Liverpool's enduring Egyptian king, masterminded a historic Premier League triumph in last season. Salah shattered records with an astonishing 57 goal involvements across all competitions - the most by any player in Europe. Fresh off a new long-term contract for his goal-laden campaign, the veteran forward only powered the Reds to domestic glory. Liverpool were dumped out of the Champions League (last 16) on penalties by Dembele's PSG.
T - Trophies
Beyond the iconic Ballon d'Or, the ceremony honours football's specialists: the Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers, the Gerd Muller Trophy for top scorers, and the Johan Cruyff Trophy for coaches. In 2025, new women's categories for these awards amplify the gala's inclusivity, celebrating the diverse brilliance that defines the sport's pinnacle in Paris.
U - Underdogs
History has it: the Ballon d'Or thrives on surprises, crowning unexpected heroes like Fabio Cannavaro, who produced a defender's shock to stun a striker-heavy field in 2006. Modric disrupted the Messi-Ronaldo dynasty in 2018 with his midfield mastery. Could a dark horse like PSG's Vitinha, with his unsung brilliance, steal the spotlight in 2025? The Ballon loves a plot twist!
V - Vinicius
Where is your Ballon d'Or? Vinicius was trolled by Man City fans at Etihad after Rodri emerged victorious. Real Madrid even boycotted after Rodri's historic win. Vini deserved better? Commentators in Brazil have claimed that Vinicius' Ballon d'Or snub was 'influenced by racism'.
W - Winners
Stanley Matthews was the first to win the Golden Ball in 1956. The pattern still exists? Attackers have dominated (over 85%) the final standings. There is still a long way for the next generation to rival Messi, but who can emulate Modric and Rodri in the future?
X- Xavi
Xavi secured podium finishes in the Ballon d'Or from 2009 to 2011, a testament to his brilliance as Barcelona's midfield maestro during the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly. Despite his metronomic passing and tactical genius, Xavi somehow lacked the electrifying "X-factor" to convince the jury, as the Spanish legend never eclipsed the goal-scoring greats.
Y - Yamal
He is not a prodigy at 18. After an outstanding UEFA Euro 2024 campaign followed by domestic success at Barcelona, Yamal is entering the race as Dembele's chief rival for the Golden Ball in Paris. Messi's successor at Camp Nou, Yamal, had the bragging rights over Dembele in the Ballon d'Or play-off. The Barca No. 10 scored a sublime brace in Spain's thrilling 5-4 win over France at the Nations League semi-finals. Is it enough?
Z - Zidane
Zidane, France's footballing maestro, clinched the 1998 Ballon d'Or by a landslide. Zizou's World Cup brilliance paved the way to his Real Madrid immortality. Either Yamal or Dembele will succeed Rodri as the Golden Ball's heir at the Theatre du Chatelet. At 18, Yamal could prolong Spain's dominance while Dembele aims to join Zidane among France's elite winners. In Paris, where Zidane's shadow looms, the 2025 champion won't just lift gold - he will ascend to a royal lineage, with 'z' as zenith.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi