Ballon d'Or 2025 official rankings: Ousmane Dembele beats Lamine Yamal and Vitinha to Golden Ball thanks to sensational goalscoring exploits in Paris Saint-Germain's treble triumph

Olise slotted straight in at Bayern after his summer switch from Crystal Palace. Those who had watched him at Selhurst Park were familiar with his twinkling feet and sparkling dribbling, but very few pundits predicted 43 goal involvements in his first season at the Allianz Arena. Only right, then, that such a fantastic campaign earned Ballon d'Or recognition.

Liverpool's big-money signing of the summer enjoyed a brilliant final year with Bayer Leverkusen, contributing 16 goals and 15 assists as the club finished second in the Bundesliga. He was injured when Bayern Munich knocked them out of the Champions League, and that feels like no coincidence.

The 34-year-old shows no signs of slowing down at Liverpool. He has signed a new contract, will be staying at Anfield for the foreseeable future, and played every game but one as the Reds lifted the Premier League trophy. Still a truly excellent defender. 

Rice appears to be back to his very best at Arsenal. The England international stunned supporters with an incredible brace of free-kicks in the Champions League thumping of Real Madrid, but the Gunners endured disappointment in both Europe and the Premier League, ultimately ending the season trophy-less. Rice, though, can hold his head up high after an excellent campaign. 

While the Norwegian No.9 perhaps enjoyed a lower-key season than he would have liked, Haaland still netted 34 goals in all competitions for a struggling Manchester City side. Expect him to finish much higher up the rankings in 2026.

Inter reached the final of the Champions League, and while they were ultimately unsuccessful, Dumfries was sensational, playing 47 times and registering 17 goal involvements from a wing-back-cum-winger position. The highlight of his season came in the epic semi-final win over Barcelona, where he either scored or assisted five of Inter's seven goals across the two legs.

PSG were simply superb throughout the 2024-25 season, and Ruiz was ever-present, playing in every single Champions League game. He also scored a vital goal in the semi-final win over Arsenal, ending the campaign with 19 goal involvements from midfield. He is not a particularly high-profile player for PSG or Spain - but he's a fantastic footballer.

One of England's brightest hopes in a generation, the midfielder was nominated again after finishing on the podium in 2024. The midfielder netted 15 goals and registered 15 assists in all competitions in 2024-25, but Madrid's failure to win either the Champions League or La Liga scuppered his hopes of lifting the trophy. 

Mac Allister became the glue in Liverpool's midfield as the Reds won the Premier League under Arne Slot. While not as flashy as some of his team-mates, the Argentine dictated from deep and contributed 13 goal involvements, including a stunning strike against Tottenham that all-but sealed the title with four games to go. 

Guirassy enjoyed a truly remarkable debut campaign for Dortmund. The 29-year-old scored a staggering 38 goals in 50 games, including 13 in 14 Champions League games as the Bundesliga giants reached the quarter-finals, where he hit a hat-trick against Barcelona.

Now a two-time Champions League runner-up, Lautaro enjoyed a remarkably strong campaign for Inter, as he netted 24 goals in all competitions. He scored in all but two of their Champions League knockout games, though he also tasted disappointment in Serie A, as Inter were pipped to the title by Napoli. 

One of the signings of last season, Joao Neves landed at PSG after his €60m (£50.5m/$65m) move from Benfica and immediately looked the part at the heart of the Parisians' midfield. The archetypal modern No.6, Neves is able to combine the physical side of the game with a classiness in possession that also allows him to contribute in the final third. Without him, PSG would never have enjoyed the season they did. 

McTominay has gone from being bombed out of Manchester United to inspiring a title triumph and becoming a cult hero in Naples. Thirteen goals and six assists from deep in midfield is truly remarkable and fully warranted a first-ever Ballon d'Or nomination for the Scot.

After Lewandowski missed out on the Ballon d'Or shortlist in 2024, it seemed like the Pole's long and, thus far, fruitless bid to pick up a Golden Ball was over. However, having been reunited with his former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick at Barcelona, the 36-year-old rolled back the years to become one of Europe's most potent No.9s once again in 2024-25, netting 44 goals in all competitions. He is ageing like a fine wine. 

Upon confirmation of his surprise second-placed finish in the 2024 Ballon d'Or, Vinicius swore that "the world wasn't ready" for what he hoped would become his revenge tour. The Brazilian clearly felt that he should have been up on stage with the Golden Ball rather than Rodri, and has attempted to stake his claim ever since. Certainly, the Real Madrid winger looked in electric form during the first half of the campaign, and there might not be a forward anywhere in world football who can match Vinicius in full flow. However, 2025 has not been a great year for the former Flamengo wonderkid, and an underwhelming Club World Cup campaign ruined his hopes of even making the top 10.

Arsenal's next great striker hope. An absolute revelation since arriving at Sporting CP from Coventry City in the summer of 2023, Gyokeres' hat-trick to down Manchester City in the Champions League back in October was his true breakout moment, as the Sweden striker's goal-scoring exploits went on to earn the global headlines they deserved. He hit 63 goals in all competitions - a number that demanded recognition.

Doue wasn't always a guaranteed starter for PSG last season, but whenever he got on the pitch, he made sure not to waste a minute. That resulted in the summer signing from Rennes enjoying a debut campaign to remember, capped by his performances in the knockout rounds of the Champions League. He scored a grand total of 16 goals, and also provided 16 assists, culminating in a brilliant brace in the Champions League final as Inter were blown away.

It finally happened: Kane won a trophy! The England captain yet again showed his goal-scoring instincts remain at a high level despite his advancing years as he fired Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title, allowing him to celebrate the long-awaited first silverware of his career. With a staggering tally of 48 goals and 14 assists for club and country, he arguably deserved to rank a little higher.

Kvaratskhelia's goal and assist numbers didn't quite match the level of his play at times during the 2024-25 season, but the Georgia winger contributed towards two different title triumphs, for PSG and Napoli, while playing a key role for the French side en route to them winning the Champions League.

His goal and assist numbers don't jump off the page (seven goals, 10 assists), but anyone who watched Barcelona this season will wax lyrical about the levels that Pedri displayed for Hansi Flick's side. Seemingly injury-free for the first time in years, the Spain star finally returned on the potential he showed as a teenager before fitness issues caught up with him, with many now touting him as the world's best midfielder.

Nuno Mendes' talent has been evident for a few years now, but the part he played in PSG's Champions League run seemed to elevate the Portugal international to new heights among fans around the world. The ex-Sporting CP star earned plaudits for the way he shut down Mohamed Salah against Liverpool in the last 16 before scoring goals in both legs of the quarter-final victory over Aston Villa. Seven goals and 12 assists from left-back mark him out as a special footballer, as does his role in Portugal's Nations League triumph. 

Luis Enrique may have deemed Donnarumma surplus to requirements at the Parc des Princes but even the Spaniard acknowledged that the Italy international saved his side several times during their dramatic Champions League success. After a few dodgy seasons, Euro 2020 Golden Ball winner Donnarumma is definitely back to his best.

It proved to be a season of two halves for Palmer, as he kicked-off the campaign in the same form in which he had finished the previous one while leading Chelsea up to as high as second in the Premier League table. His output, however, took a steep downturn following the turn of the year, which coincided with the Blues also falling away in the title race before eventually recovering to finish fourth. Anyone who doubted Palmer, however, was made to eat their words as he produced two sparkling performances in finals to see out the season, first in the Conference League and then at the Club World Cup, where his display against PSG was truly outstanding.

Mbappe may not have enjoyed the start to life at Real Madrid that he or the club's fans wanted, but took his game to another level during the second half of the season, which featured a stunning hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League. Obviously, everyone expected Mbappe to have won this award by now but you still feel his time will come.

Debates over who is the best right-back in world football throw up a whole host of contenders for the crown, but right now it's difficult to look past Achraf Hakimi. The PSG star has been a consistently high performer for half a decade across his spells at Borussia Dortmund and Inter, and he looks to be getting even better. A staggering season saw the right-back contribute 30 goal involvements, and he helped the Champions League winners keep 26 clean sheets. 

There were those who argued against it early on, but it was clear for much of the campaign that Raphinha was the most decisive of Barcelona's electric front-three, and his raw goal and assist numbers certainly help back that up. The ex-Leeds United winger would likely have been sold last summer if Barca had managed to complete a deal to sign Nico Williams, but the Brazilian shrugged that off to lead the Blaugrana to a domestic treble. A staggering tally of 64 goal involvements, and his status as a La Liga champion, made him a worthy recipient of a top-five finish.

Speculation over Salah's future was finally put to bed after he signed a new two-year contract at Liverpool, and few can argue that it was not well earned. 'The Egyptian King' rediscovered his best form and then some under new coach Arne Slot, leading the Reds to secure the Premier League title at a canter. Scoring 36 goals in all competitions saw him confirm his status as perhaps the best player Liverpool have had in the Premier League era.

After being something of a surprise inclusion on last year's Ballon d'Or shortlist, Vitinha was a legitimate contender this time around. The ex-Wolves loanee was the beating heart of Luis Enrique's all-conquering side, and earned Xavi comparisons as the French giants completed their treble by winning the Champions League. He then backed that up with some impressive displays as Portugal won the Nations League in June and during PSG's run to the Club World Cup final.

No player has won the Ballon d'Or before their 21st birthday in the almost-70 years of the award, but right now it would be a shock if Yamal didn't break that record given he has another three seasons to get there! There is presently no greater talent in the game than the Barcelona teenager, who, as he showed in 2024-25, is only going to improve. He was outscored by two of his team-mates in Catalunya, but plenty of La Liga watchers will tell you that the 18-year-old was the most impressive attacking player in Spain. Coupled with his Champions League showings, which reached outrageous new heights against Inter in the semi-finals, he is now the top Golden Ball candidate within the Barca dressing room.

Deserve deserved to realise his Ballon d'Or dream. The Frenchman won every competition there was to win, and scored 37 goals along the way, while also providing 16 assists. After years of undearchievement, he has finally realised his potential.