France Football unveiled a 30-man shortlist for the 2025 Ballon d’Or — and it has everything football loves: superclub dominance, teenage phenoms, comebacks, blockbuster transfers, and a “people’s candidate.” Side by side stand Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Scott McTominay, while PSG have put forward almost a full team. And yes, Vinícius is back in the mix.
Nine from Paris: PSG’s Season as a Showcase for the Ballon d’Or
No club has more names on the list than the Parisians: nine PSG players at once. After a treble-winning season and a run to the Club World Cup final, that makes sense: the top 30 includes Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz, João Neves, Désiré Doué, and the shortlist’s only goalkeeper — Gianluigi Donnarumma. His future at the club remains unclear: an eye-catching season hasn’t yet produced a quick contract extension. A separate subplot is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia: he returns to the list after a break, having lifted trophies with PSG while also completing the first half of the season at Napoli.
Full Shortlist: All 30 Contenders
- PSG: Ousmane Dembélé, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Désiré Doué, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG/Napoli).
- Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior.
- Barcelona: Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, Raphinha Dias, Lamine Yamal.
- Liverpool: Alexis Mac Allister, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz (Liverpool/Bayer).
- Inter: Denzel Dumfries, Lautaro Martínez.
- Arsenal: Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal/Sporting), Declan Rice.
- Bayern Munich: Harry Kane, Michael Olise.
- Manchester City: Erling Haaland.
- Borussia Dortmund: Serhou Guirassy.
- Chelsea: Cole Palmer.
- Napoli: Scott McTominay.
Who Missed Out and Who Is Rising
The reigning winner Rodri is not nominated — injuries tore too big a chunk out of his season, and Manchester City endured a campaign that was “poor by their standards.” From City only Erling Haaland made the cut. In the opposite corner is Vinícius: last year’s challenger to Rodri is among the favorites again. And there’s the people’s hero — Scott McTominay: leaving Manchester United rebooted his career so powerfully that a run at the Ballon d’Or no longer feels like a fairy tale.
Bright Youth: From Yamal to Neves
The Best Young Player award also promises a fierce fight. The current holder Lamine Yamal is back on the list — and simultaneously in contention for the main prize. Désiré Doué and João Neves appear in both lineups as well. Their competition includes Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille), Estêvão (Chelsea/Palmeiras), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid/Bournemouth), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Rodrigo Mora (Porto), and Kenan Yıldız (Juventus). The generational shift is obvious: teenagers are no longer “the future,” they’re deciding big matches here and now.
Goalkeepers: One in the Top 30 and Ten in Their Own Race
There’s only one keeper in the thirty — Donnarumma. But the separate Best Goalkeeper race is packed: the reigning winner Emiliano Martínez is nominated again, along with Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Alisson (Liverpool), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal), Lucas Chevalier (Lille), Jan Oblak (Atlético), David Raya (Arsenal), Matz Sels (Newcastle), and Yann Sommer (Inter). Here, the details will decide it: long-haul consistency and those “moment saves” that carry teams through decisive rounds.
Who’s in Charge: Coaches and Club of the Year
The coaching prize will definitely have a new winner: Carlo Ancelotti isn’t nominated this time. On the shortlist are treble-winning Luis Enrique (PSG), Hansi-Dieter Flick (Barcelona), Antonio Conte (Napoli), Arne Slot (Liverpool), and Enzo Maresca (Chelsea). The Club of the Year field features PSG, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Botafogo — a choice between steady power, managerial upgrades, and the spark of a new project.
Rules and Ceremony Date: What to Know
For the fourth straight year, the award evaluates the season rather than the calendar year: this time the period runs from 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025. The ceremony will take place on 22 September at Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet — the sport’s traditional early-autumn gathering point.
How the Voting Works and What Will Be Debated This Time
Last year France Football reduced the voting pool from 170 to 100 — granting ballots only to journalists from countries in FIFA’s top-100 ranking. That increased the weight of every vote and added transparency to the debate. On the agenda are the eternal questions: what matters more — individual dominance or contribution to trophies? how should mid-season transfers be judged? and where is the line between statistical efficiency and overall influence on play?
The race promises to be multilayered. PSG have squad depth and a powerful collective case. Real Madrid retain the habit of winning manifesto-matches and boast stars who can settle a final with one touch. Barcelona are restoring spectacle and raising future leaders right on the pitch. Liverpool are a model of system play that converts into individual votes. And somewhere nearby are the character arcs: from McTominay’s reboot to Yamal’s coming-of-age. The Ballon d’Or 2025 is already underway — now we wait for the verdict of a hundred ballots in Paris.
