2025 Ballon d’Or Power Rankings: How the Club World Cup Could Shape the Future

Rodri won last year’s
Ballon d’Or
after an exceptional 2024 for Manchester City and Spain, becoming only the third player not named
Lionel Messi
or
Cristiano Ronaldo
to claim France Football’s prestigious golden ball since 2007.

But who will follow in Rodri’s footsteps this year?

As the Club World Cup gets underway, here’s our edition of the 2025 Ballon d’Or power rankings. Keep checking back as we’ll be keeping this one updated throughout the year.

10. Scott McTominay (=)

Having guided Napoli to the Serie A title and being named as Serie A’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for 2024-25, we had to give McTominay a nod in our list.

And if it were up to us, we’d put him in the conversation purely for describing the tomatoes you get in Britain as “red water” and the inevitable murals that will be painted across Naples in his honour.

Unfortunately we’re not on the Ballon d’Or voting committee (give us a call, France Football) and have to accept reality. ‘McFratm’ hasn’t done quite enough to compete with the names at the top of this list, but he should receive a nomination – and might even make the final top 10.

“I’m lost for words. It’s incredible you know, the sacrifice that every single player in the group has put forward to the cause,” the Scotland international said after winning the Scudetto.

“And the people deserve it because they’ve been behind us from day one, and for me to come and experience this is a dream.”

9. Pedri (

-1

)

“Nobody deserves the Ballon d’Or more than Pedri, everyone knows what kind of a player he is,” says Gavi.

That’s nice of him. We don’t entirely agree, but Pedri was back to his very best in 2024-25 and is certainly worthy of consideration.

Rodri’s win last year brought an end to the Ballon d’Or’s era of flashy forwards and showed that an unheralded midfielder can be recognised for the very top prize, but we can’t see it happening two years in a row.

And if it is to go to a midfielder, there’s a certain PSG man who boasts a stronger claim…

8. Kylian Mbappe (

-1

)

We can’t see Mbappe winning the Ballon d’Or this year after Real Madrid’s failure to land any major silverware in his debut season.

Scoring a hat-trick in an El Clasico defeat that killed Los Blancos’ hopes of retaining their La Liga crown would’ve given Mbappe flashbacks to notching three in the last World Cup final and not getting his hands on the trophy.

But he did end up claiming a first career European Golden Shoe. And with the Ballon d’Or race still quite open, a podium placing isn’t completely out of the question if he produces something special at this summer’s Club World Cup.

If he can fire Xabi Alonso’s new-look Los Blancos to the trophy, he might just make the podium – but getting his hands on the Ballon d’Or is surely beyond him until 2026.

Should’ve stayed at PSG, mate.

7. Desire Doue (=)

Two goals and an assist in a Champions League final? From a

teenager

?

Ridiculous stuff.

Doue didn’t quite do enough over the full season to put himself in the conversation, but that performance surely ensures he’ll get a nomination. And he now appears
a shoo-in for the Golden Boy award
at the very least.

6. Raphinha

(

-1

)

The Brazilian would’ve been the clear frontrunner were it not for Inter’s injury-time equaliser – and subsequent victory – in the Champions League semis.

Or if Yamal had tucked away either of the presentable chances he’d served up – which would’ve seen Raphinha notch one more assist and move ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time record for goal contributions in a European campaign.

As things are, the former Leeds United forward tied Ronaldo’s record – but that lost its lustre a little when he was absent in Munich.

Raphinha’s numbers have been off the charts this season. And he’s still won a domestic double (treble if you count the Super Cup). He’s taken his game up another level and would be worthy of a place on the podium, but competition is particularly fierce this year.

5. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (

-2

)

Two league titles and a Champions League winner’s medal. Some season, eh?

Kvaradona wasn’t PSG’s standout in their masterclass-for-the-ages mauling of PSG but he still found himself on the scoresheet and added some stardust to proceedings.

We’re not sure there’s a more fun, unique talent around at the minute. A proper throwback and just a pure joy to watch.

4. Vitinha (NEW)

We’ll hold our hands up. This was a massive oversight.

We originally held off on including Vitinha partly because there’s just so much quality in Luis Enrique’s well-oiled PSG machine.

Alongside the three other names in this ranking, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves have been brilliant in midfield. And there’s surely no better full-back pairing in world football now than Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi.

The Nations League, given its status in the game, will likely soon be forgotten. But it did offer us a reminder of quick how good Vitinha is – he’s continuing his flawless year and is worthy of singling out for praise.

If he can keep this up and help PSG win the Club World Cup, a podium placing is surely on the cards.

READ:
9 legendary teams who didn’t have a Ballon d’Or winner: Barcelona, Spain, Man Utd…

3. Lamine Yamal (

-1

)

Football’s most exciting wonderkid can’t compete with Salah or his Barca team-mate Raphinha when it came to numbers in 2024-25.

Yamal’s goals and assists were ridiculous for a 17-year-old but not quite up there with Europe’s elite just yet. Tons of players across Europe, including Fabio Silva and Danny Welbeck, scored more league goals in 2024-25 – and nobody is placing them in the Ballon d’Or conversation.

But forget all that. Just watch Lamine with the ball at his feet and tell us you’re not watching the best player in the world right now. Think back to Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane or a young Messi and you get that same sense of wonder.

The opposite of Salah, he’s particularly come to life at this crucial juncture of the season. He was astonishingly good in both legs of Barca’s Champions League semi, scored against Real Madrid and unleashed a brilliant strike in their title-clinching Catalan derby victory away to Espanyol.

PSG’s Champions League final victory, and Spain’s Nations League final defeat, probably puts the Ballon d’Or beyond him for now. But he still has time on his side to become
the youngest ever recipient
.

2. Mohamed Salah (

+1

)

Liverpool’s Egyptian King slowed down at the worst moment.

He notched just two goals and one assist in his last 10 appearances of the 2024-25 campaign, a run that saw Liverpool suffer a shock defeat to Newcastle United in the League Cup final and exit the Champions League at the Round of 16 stage.

Rarely, if ever, have you seen a Ballon d’Or winner so underwhelming at the business end of a campaign.

And yet – let’s be honest – it would be an absolute travesty if Salah doesn’t end up on the podium. He was comfortably ahead of any other player across Europe’s major leagues for combined goals and assists and was Liverpool’s difference-maker as they made a procession of the 2024-25 Premier League title race.

For two-thirds of the season, he was on another planet. The best player by a country mile in the most competitive league in Europe. Hopefully, come the Ballon d’Or in October, once the dust has settled, voters will remember and recognise what a brilliant year it was for Salah.

And given how well he tends to start seasons, don’t be surprised if he reminds the voters of his outrageous quality at just the right time.

READ:
The 15 players who have made the Ballon d’Or podium ahead of Salah since 2018

1. Ousmane Dembele (=)

Like Salah, Dembele wasn’t quite at his brilliant best in the final run-in. Goals dried up in April and May.

But he still is – just about – the closest thing to a leading light in this superteam.

Dembele’s exceptional run of form mid-season helped turn PSG’s season around, while goals against Arsenal and Liverpool proved pivotal in clinching the club’s first-ever Champions League.

The Frenchman assisted the second in the mauling of Inter but he wasn’t quite the headline-maker in the final.

He’s still the frontrunner for now, but it’s far from a sure thing. Spain’s 2010 World Cup winners had no Ballon d’Or winner. Nor did Bayern Munich’s 2012-13 treble winners.

And like those teams, PSG might just be so good collectively – we’ve not even included any of their superb midfielders! – that it’s to the detriment of any one individual’s candidacy. Let’s see what happens.

READ NEXT:
The 10 players with the most goals & assists in Europe in 2024-25

TRY A QUIZ:
Can you name all 30 male nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or?