Year after year, France Football magazine awards the prestigious Ballon d’Or to the best football player in the world, evaluating performances from the previous season. On Thursday, the French publication revealed its 30-player long list of nominees who remain in contention for the 2025 award. This list will be shortened before the highly anticipated award ceremony takes place on September 22 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Yamal vs. Dembélé The clear favorite for the award is Barcelona’s superstar Lamine Yamal, the leading figure in the club’s attack and, at just 18 years old, already considered one of the best footballers in the world. One of his strongest challengers is Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé, a key player in guiding the French club to its first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
Dembélé’s season was remarkable, with 34 goals and 16 assists in 54 official matches. Also on the long list are: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Desire Doue (Paris), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting Lisbon), Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund), Scott McTominay (Napoli), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Joao Neves (PSG), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Pedri (Barcelona), Raphinha (Barcelona), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Fabián Ruiz (PSG), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Vitinha (PSG) and Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen).
Luis Enrique vs. Arne Slot in the Coaches’ Duel Among the nominees for the Johan Cruyff Trophy for Best Coach are Liverpool’s title-winning manager Arne Slot, UEFA Champions League-winning coach Luis Enrique of Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona’s league-winning boss Hansi Flick, Napoli’s champion coach Antonio Conte, and Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca.
In the women’s category, England manager Arina Wiegman is once again the favorite after leading her team to the European Championship title. Yashin Trophy: The Best Goalkeeper Race Remains Wide Open Nominated for the Yashin Trophy as Best Goalkeeper are: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal), Lucas Chevalier (Lille), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid), David Raya (Arsenal), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest) and Yann Sommer (Inter Milan/Switzerland).
Analysts suggest this race is still very much open. In the women’s competition, European champion Hannah Hampton (Chelsea/England) and German keeper Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham City/Germany) are considered the frontrunners. Kopa Trophy: Yamal Leads the Young Talent List Again Lamine Yamal has also been nominated once again for the Kopa Trophy for Best Young Player, facing competition from Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille), Desire Doue (PSG), Estevao (Chelsea), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Rodrigo Mora (Porto), Joao Neves (PSG) and Kenan Yildiz (Juventus). In the women’s competition, the likely battle is between English talent Michelle Agyemang and Spanish star Vicky López.
