The time of year came when the world’s biggest soccer talents gathered in Paris to reveal who would be crowned the king and queen of 2025. Since the turn of the century, the Ballon d’Or has generally been a battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: soccer’s two undisputed greatests of all time. As they near retirement, the competition for the Ballon d’Or has been brought back to life.
Since Messi last won the award in 2023, soccer fans have gotten their first tastes of a Messi and Ronaldo-less Ballon d’Or. Last year, Manchester City’s star midfielder Rodrigo Hernández Cascante (Rodri) took home his first-ever Ballon d’Or after an amazing treble-winning season with Manchester City and a successful Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Championship campaign with Spain. Rodri’s success was met with criticism from fans who believed Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior was more deserving of the trophy.
This year saw one of the closest Ballon d’Or competitions yet; Ousmane Dembélé, Raphinha, Mohamed Salah and Lamine Yamal were all frontrunners for the trophy. Unlike most years, UEFA made sure to keep the winner of the trophy a secret until its announcement — even the eventual winner had no idea he had won until his name was called.
After a drawn-out ceremony, the Kopa Trophy went to FC Barcelona’s Yamal, and the Yashin Trophy was awarded to Man City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Coach Luis Enrique won the Johan Cruyff coach of the year trophy, Arsenal F.C.’s Viktor Gyökeres won the Gerd Müller trophy and PSG won the club of the year award. Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí was awarded her third consecutive Ballon d’Or Féminin, beating Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey.
When the ceremony finally came down to the top 10 for the Ballon d’Or, the list was surprising, to say the least. Coming in at number 10 was PSG left-back Nuno Mendes, who had both an impressive club and country season. Not only did he lead his team to their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy, but he also helped Portugal beat Spain to earn their second-ever Nations League title.
PSG keeper Donnarumma found himself in the number nine spot. Donnarumma’s season earned him a transfer to Manchester City this summer, and the sizable Italian is already proving to be a threat in the Premier League.
The first surprise came when the number eight spot was awarded to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer. After an incredible first season with Chelsea (the Blues) in 2023-24, Palmer’s second season was a bit of a disappointment. His season started off great as he scored 12 goals before the end of the year. However, once 2025 arrived, Palmer only scored 3 more goals in the Premier League season. There’s no doubt he is Chelsea’s main man, but to put him in the top 10 — let alone eighth place — in the Ballon d’Or race was bold.
Kylian Mbappé was given the number seven spot. His debut season at Real Madrid may have been trophyless, but his personal season was outstanding. He scored a staggering 44 goals for the club, with 31 of those goals earning him the top-scorer accolade in LaLiga. At the rate he’s going, Mbappe’s first Ballon d’Or isn’t far away.
PSG’s right-back Achraf Hakimi was named as the number six spot. Hakimi was easily one of the most attack-minded full-backs in Europe last season — he netted 11 goals and secured 16 assists. He more than deserves to be in the top 10.
The second biggest shock of the night came at the announcement of the number five spot. After netting 34 goals and assisting 26 — yes, these are the statistics of fifth place in the competition — Barcelona’s Raphinha was unable to break into the top three. After nearly being replaced in the summer of 2024 by Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, Raphinha decided to step up and dominate world soccer. He was able to drive his club through LaLiga and Copa Del Rey to the Supercopa de España. Fans say his low ranking is because of Barcelona’s heartbreaking exit from the Champions League semifinals against Inter Milan. However, the Ballon d’Or is a trophy for player of the year, not club of the year. Raphinha should be higher on this list.
Fourth place was awarded to Liverpool’s (the Reds) Mohamed Salah. After bringing Liverpool back to the top of English football, Salah was the focal point of the Reds’ campaign. The Egyptian was able to net 34 goals and assist 23 in all competitions for Liverpool. He secured the top goalscorer and top assist in the competition. The 33-year-old has shown up for Liverpool every season since 2017 and yet he still fails to get close to a Ballon d’Or.
Entering the final three, third place was also a surprise; it went to PSG’s Vitinha. There’s no doubt Vitinha was easily one of the best midfielders in the world in 2025, but top three seems a little high. His success with PSG and Portugal definitely helped his case, but Raphinha and Salah deserved to be above Vitinha. With all that aside, Vitinha’s comeback has been impressive. After a disappointing loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Vitinha seemed destined not to reach his potential. Alas, here we are, and he is a magician in that PSG midfield.
The top two — Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal — both had fairytale seasons. If Vitinha’s story was impressive, then Dembélé’s borders on unbelievable. After countless injuries and mediocre performances for Barcelona, Dembélé was labeled as the “100 million euro flop.” He moved to PSG in 2023, hoping to revive his career. His first season at the club was decent, netting 6 goals and 14 assists, but his season last year was incredible. After a tough end to 2024, Dembélé came to life in 2025, concluding the season with victories in the Champions League, Ligue 1, Trophée des champions, Coupe de France and a UEFA Super Cup. He also netted 35 goals and assisted 16 in all competitions.
At just 18 years old, Yamal was a nailed-on starter for Barcelona off the right wing. He scored 18 goals and assisted 25 and has since been tipped to be the next Messi. Being a global superstar at such a young age has come with criticism; some people have accused Yamal of having an ego expected to prove costly in the future. But for right now, he is the real deal.
To set the final scene, Brazilian legend Ronaldinho stood up on stage with an envelope that revealed it all: the official winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or. Was the headline going to spell Dembélé’s redemption arc or Yamal’s fairytale beginning? As the crowd quieted down and the world’s eyes were on Ronaldinho, he opened the note. A smile broke out onto his face and his eyes lit up, and into the microphone he went: “The 2025 Ballon d’Or goes to…”
PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé. The redemption arc was a success and Dembélé proved the world wrong, earning himself a well-deserved Ballon d’Or. As tears filled his eyes and thanks were in the air, Dembélé went home that night knowing all the hard work he put in to recover from his injuries and focus on the pitch paid off. Congratulations to the Frenchman.
