Ballon d’Or 2025 power rankings: Top five candidates to watch | OneFootball

The Ballon d’Or, established in 1956, stands as the pinnacle of individual honours in football, yet over the past two decades, it has mostly been reserved for two players.

As we walk away from the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a new generation of stars is emerging, eager to stake their claim for football’s most coveted prize.

Rodri became only the third player other than the legendary duo to lift France Football’s Golden Ball since 2007 last term, but the award will inevitably fall into someone else’s hands this year.

Lamine Yamal

Fundamental to Barcelona’s treble chase, Lamine Yamal’s rise to stardom has been as remarkable as it is rapid, leading to widespread comparison with Messi.

The highly-rated La Masia product had the limelight taken by Rodri when Spain won the European Championship last summer, but could follow in his footsteps in the Ballon d’Or race a year later.

The 17-year-old looks destined to become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner and overtake the legendary Ronaldo, who won the award at 21 while wearing the Blaugrana jersey.

Alongside Pedri, Yamal is Barcelona’s brightest beacon of a new golden generation, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets the fitting recognition for his genius.

Ousmane Dembele

Little did anyone know when the season started that Paris Saint-Germain would be only 90 minutes away from reaching the Champions League final after years of suffering on the continental front.

Ousmane Dembele has been at the core of PSG’s incredible European run, not to mention his sterling exploits in Ligue 1, where Luis Enrique’s side sealed a record-extending 13th title with a few games to spare.

If Les Parisiens can finally achieve their final peak and ascend the European throne for the first time, it would be hard to escape the proposition of Dembele becoming the new Ballon d’Or winner.

What a story this would be.

Mohamed Salah

Although he is a front-runner to wrap his hands around the most prestigious individual prize for most of 2024/25, Mohamed Salah’s chances dwindled after Liverpool bowed out of the Champions League.

However, there’s a precedent named Messi. Back in 2019, La Pulga won his sixth Ballon d’Or despite Barcelona’s early European exit and a lack of international success.

Whether history could repeat itself this year remains questionable, yet no one can dispute Salah’s candidacy amid one of the most outstanding seasons the Premier League has ever witnessed.

With 28 goals and 18 assists, he leads every chart in the world’s most challenging championship and has been the architect of Liverpool’s record-equalling 20th title in England’s top flight.

Robert Lewandowski

There’s no player of this generation more deserving of the Golden Ball than Barcelona goalscoring machine Robert Lewandowski.

Five years since being robbed of the Ballon d’Or when carrying Bayern Munich to a historic treble with 55 goals in all competitions, the Pole could right that wrong this season.

As he approaches the twilight of his illustrious playing career, Lewandowski has perhaps one last shot at lifting the most sought-after individual accolade in world football.

Boasting 40 goals across 48 appearances this season, including 11 in 12 Champions League games, he recently eclipsed Gerd Muller’s record to become the third all-time top scorer in Europe’s top-five leagues.

Raphinha

Only football can write stories like this. From one rejection to another, Raphinha’s career almost reached a breaking point last summer when he unfathomably considered hanging up his boots.

However, Hansi Flick’s arrival at Barcelona has breathed new life into the 28-year-old’s career, restoring his confidence and giving him a pivotal role in a team brimming with intimidating attacking potential.

Raphinha – a master of misses via the Guardian – came from nearly quitting Barcelona for the Saudi Pro League to become the leading Ballon d’Or candidate in less than 12 months.

Despite his ‘wasteful’ finishing and oftentimes erratic attempts, the numbers look staggering. Raphinha has been the most influential figure in the Champions League this term.

In addition to matching Messi’s most prolific Champions League season, the ex-Leeds United winger is only two goals and assists shy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s outright record at Europe’s top table.