Who should have won the 2025 Ballon D’Or? 5 players who could have won award

The 2025 Ballon D’Or ceremony has come to a close. It is an event that is almost always mired in controversy and debate – this year was no different.

This year, PSG superstar Ousmane Dembele picked up the prestigious award, but there were several other players who could’ve laid claim to it. Who are they?

We’ll be looking at a couple of other PSG players who could’ve taken home the award, as well as players from Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona.

Vitinha

It was nice to see a player like Vitinha getting his flowers in the Ballon D’Or ceremony. A unsung hero of his ilk is unlikely to ever win football’s greatest individual prize – and that’s a shame.

A phenomenal passer of the ball and a player who can dictate the tempo of the game with ease, Vitinha is content to go about his business from deep positions. He isn’t a major contributor in terms of goals or assists – as such, it was a surprise (a welcome one, but a surprise nonetheless) to see him rank as highly as third in the Ballon Dor top ten.

Lamine Yamal

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal was expected by many to win the Ballon D’Or – including himself, as he was reported to have organised a celebration party before the ceremony took place.

Indeed, his confidence is not unwarranted. In 2025, Yamal won the La Liga title with Barcelona, scoring 18 goals and racking up 25 assists over the course of the season. Arguably the best young player in the world, a Ballon Dor surely awaits Yamal in the future.

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool fans will have been disappointed to see Mohamed Salah being overlooked for the Ballon D’Or once again – he didn’t even manage to crack the top three, finishing fourth overall.

The 2024/25 campaign was one of the strongest in Salah’s illustrious career – he scored 34 goals and racked up 23 assists across all competitions. The only thing letting him down was a lack of continental success – the Reds may have won the Premier League last season, but their performance in the Champions League was comparatively lacklustre.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was outstanding in the 24/25 season. While his impact in the two leagues he played in (Serie A and Ligue 1) was somewhat limited due to a mid-season transfer to PSG, he shone in the Champions League.

Particularly, in the final, the Georgian superstar looked untouchable. Despite this, it wasn’t enough to merit him the Ballon D’Or – shockingly, he was not even included in the top ten.

Cole Palmer

This may come as a surprise inclusion to some. Out of all the players on our list, Cole Palmer was the least decorated in 24/25, only (!) winning the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup with Chelsea. As an individual, however, Palmer was truly special last season.

With 18 goals and 14 assists from midfield to his name in a team that largely struggled last year, Palmer has been a revelation since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Initially signed to provide backup to Chelsea’s big-money foreign imports, Palmer swiftly established himself as the Blues’ main man. It’s hard to imagine where they would be without him.