The 2025 Ballon d'Or will be the 69th annual ceremony of the Ballon d'Or, presented by France Football, recognising the best footballers in the world in the 2024–25 season. For the fourth time in the history of the award, it will be given based on the results of the season instead of the calendar year. This is the period from 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025. The ceremony will take place on 22 September 2025 and nominees are set to be announced in August 2025. The question remains: who is going to win it this year?
-Simone Inzaghi after Barca-Inter
On 17 August 2024, Salah broke the Premier League record for most goals on opening day with a goal
against Ipswich Town. On 2 October, he surpassed Didier Drogba as the top African scorer in Champions
League history with a goal against Bologna. By 20 October, he became the earliest Liverpool player in a
season to record five goals and five assists.
On 24 November, Salah scored twice against Southampton, marking his 100th away goal for Liverpool. On 4
December, he became the first player in Premier League history to score and assist in 37 different
matches. He reached 50 Champions League goals on 10 December and registered his 100th assist for
Liverpool four days later.
On 22 December, he became the first player to record 15 goals and 11 assists before Christmas and moved
to fourth on Liverpool’s all-time scoring list (229 goals). On Boxing Day, he entered the top 50
all-time English top-flight scorers with his 173rd goal. On 29 December, he broke three more Premier
League records, including fastest to 30 goal involvements in a season and most matches with both a goal
and assist (8).
On 21 January 2025, he scored his 50th European goal for Liverpool. He then scored three more goals in
two league games, overtaking Thierry Henry and Frank Lampard to become the sixth-highest Premier League
scorer (178 goals), and joined the elite group of players with 20+ goals in five seasons.
On 12 February, he became the fourth player to reach 100 goal involvements in 100 Premier League games.
On 19 February, he became the first to score 15 away league goals in a season and the fifth to register
15+ goals and assists in one campaign. On 23 February, he set five new records including most matches
with both a goal and assist (11), matching a Lionel Messi feat from 2014–15.
On 8 March, he became Liverpool’s third-highest scorer with a brace against Southampton. After months of
speculation, Salah signed a two-year contract extension on 11 April. Two days later, he registered his
45th goal contribution of the season — a new record in a 38-game Premier League campaign. On 27 April,
after scoring in a 5–1 win over Spurs that sealed Liverpool's league title, he became the Premier
League’s top foreign goalscorer, surpassing Sergio Agüero, and rose to fifth on the all-time top scorer
list.
On 11 March 2025, Ousmane Dembélé delivered a decisive performance in one of the season’s most intense
fixtures, scoring the crucial equalizing goal on aggregate against Liverpool in the second leg of the
UEFA Champions League round of 16. His well-timed strike not only reignited PSG’s hopes but also shifted
the momentum in favor of the French side. With the tie level at full time, the match went to a dramatic
penalty shoot-out. Dembélé stepped up with composure and converted his spot-kick confidently, helping
PSG secure their place in the quarterfinals.
Later in the campaign, on 29 April, Dembélé once again proved to be PSG’s difference-maker, scoring the
only goal in a hard-fought 1–0 away victory over Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League
semi-finals.
Demonstrating his versatility and vision, he followed up that performance in the return leg
by assisting Achraf Hakimi’s decisive goal, orchestrating a 2–1 aggregate win that propelled PSG into
the Champions League final. With that assist, Dembélé broke new ground by setting the record for the
most goal contributions (goals and assists combined) by a player representing a French club in a single
Champions League campaign, reaching an impressive tally of twelve.
His form wasn’t limited to European competition. In Ligue 1, Dembélé had his most prolific domestic
season to date. He finished the campaign as the joint-top scorer, netting 21 goals alongside Marseille's
Mason Greenwood. His consistent brilliance in front of goal was instrumental in PSG clinching their 13th
league title, reinforcing their dominance in French football.
Dembélé’s performances did not go unnoticed. He was deservedly named Ligue 1 Player of the Year, marking
the first time in his career he received the prestigious honor. His contributions also earned him a
place in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, underlining his evolution from an injury-prone winger to a
world-class forward with elite end-product and leadership on the pitch.
This season will likely be
remembered as the defining chapter of his career thus far, a season in which he silenced critics,
shattered records, and led from the front on Europe’s biggest stage.
On 26 October, at the age of 17 years and 105 days, Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in El Clásico
history when
he scored the third goal in a 4–0 victory against Real Madrid, surpassing the record of his teammate
Ansu Fati who
did so at the age of 17 years and 359 days in October 2020.
During the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Yamal
and his Barcelona teammates Ansu Fati and Raphinha were targeted with racial abuse by a group of home
supporters. On 2 February 2025, he completed 21 dribbles against Alavés, breaking Lionel Messi's record
from
2007. On 30 April, Yamal made his 100th appearance for the club in the Champions League semi-final
first-leg
against Inter Milan. He scored the first goal in a 3–3 draw and was praised by Inter manager Simone
Inzaghi, who
called Yamal "a phenomenon born every 50 years."
On 11 May 2025, Yamal played a pivotal role in Barcelona's 4–3 comeback victory over Real Madrid at the
Estadi
Olímpic Lluís Companys. After trailing 0–2 due to an early brace from Kylian Mbappé, Barcelona responded
with goals
from Eric García, Yamal, and a brace by Raphinha. Yamal's goal, a curling shot into the bottom corner,
leveled the
score at 2–2 and was instrumental in shifting the momentum of the match.[65] The victory marked
Barcelona's fourth
consecutive Clásico win of the season and brought them within one win of clinching the La Liga title.
On 25 May 2025, Yamal scored the decisive goal in the Copa del Rey final against Atlético Madrid,
sealing a 2–1 win and completing Barcelona’s first domestic double in seven years. With the match tied
late in the second half, Yamal produced a moment of brilliance in the 87th minute—cutting inside and
curling a precise shot into the far corner. The goal capped off a historic season in which he recorded
over 20 goals and 15 assists across all competitions. His consistent match-winning performances at just
17 have drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi’s early years, and many now see Yamal as not only Barcelona’s
most important player, but also a leading contender for the Ballon d’Or.
At 17 years old, Yamal's performances during the season led to widespread claims by pundits and players
that he is
the best player in the world. He is often debated as one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or
for the season.
