In a year without a major international tournament, winning the Champions League is surely key to winning the Ballon d’Or. So really, that should be the end of the Real Madrid chat.
Here are the top 10 favourites for the award, according to the bookmakers…
Favourites to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or
9=) Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Man of the match in both legs of the famous semi-final win over Real Madrid; now he just needs to reproduce that three more times.
9=) Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)
Brilliant since his January move from Napoli, helping the French club stay unbeaten in Ligue Un and make the Champions League semi-finals.
8) Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
Could he become the first Serie A winner since Kaka in 2007? It would be hard to argue with a Champions League/league double.
7) Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
“Individual trophies count too, like the Ballon d’Or. I know what I have to do to win it, a lot of things on and off the field. When I do everything I need to do to win it, I will win it,” says the Frenchman.
And when he does not do everything he needs to do – and he absolutely hasn’t – then he won’t win it. And Real Madrid will not be able to p*** the bed about this one.
👉 READ MORE: The ridiculous records of Kylian Mbappe: Only seven players have more Champions League goals
6) Pedri (Barcelona)
“Nobody deserves the Ballon D’Or more than Pedri, everyone knows what kind of a player he is,” says Gavi. But surely if Barcelona win the lot, the gong will go to one of the three stellar attacking players…
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5) Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
He deserves it after his 2020 robbery.
Lewandowski been in electrifying form this season and is having one of the most productive seasons of his career at the grand old age of 36.
4) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Rodri sees a Ballon d’Or win in the 17-year-old Barcelona star’s future. Seven-f***ing-teen, by the way. The Kopa Trophy winner is already world class.
2=) Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
There had been a lot of nonsense talk about Salah having the Ballon in the bag, but winning the Premier League was never likely to be enough. Failing to score in two legs v PSG basically ended his chances.
It’s fair to say that the PFA award will be easier to claim…
👉 READ MORE: Mo Salah: GOAT Premier League winger and Ballon d’Or contender is Liverpool’s third-top scorer ever
2=) Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
We were waiting for the bookies to notice that Dembele has scored more goals than anybody in 2025 and could do what Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe failed to do: Win the Champions League with PSG.
1) Raphinha (Barcelona)
Having a brilliant season for a Barcelona side that could win the Champions League and La Liga on top of the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup already claimed under Hansi Flick.
The former Leeds United star’s statistics this season are astonishing, particularly in Europe’s premier competition. He has an absurd 19 goal involvements (12 goals, seven assists) in 12 matches and has also scored an impressive 15 goals in 30 La Liga matches. He is on fire.
Worth it just to see him going around the auditorium on his knees, at the end of the day.
