Ballon d’Or 2025: Dembele, Mbappe, Salah Among 30 Nominees as Messi and Ronaldo Left Out
The 30-man shortlist for the 2025 Ballon d’Or has been officially announced, with PSG star Ousmane Dembele emerging as a top contender following a standout season. Meanwhile, football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been left out of the nominations for the first time in years.
Dembele leads the pack after an extraordinary campaign, scoring 36 goals and providing 13 assists across all competitions. He also played a pivotal role in Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League and Ligue 1 triumphs, putting him in prime position to secure his first-ever Ballon d’Or.
Also on the shortlist are Premier League winner Mohamed Salah and La Liga champion Raphinha, with Kylian Mbappe representing Real Madrid after his big move from PSG.
In a notable omission, Cristiano Ronaldo—despite helping Portugal win the UEFA Nations League in June—and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi did not make the cut.
The 69th Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on September 22 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France.
Full List: Ballon d’Or 2025 Nominees
- Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain, Italy)
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
- Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
- Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan, Netherlands)
- Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund, Guinea)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
- Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal, Sweden)
- Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain, Georgia)
- Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona, Poland)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool, Argentina)
- Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan, Argentina)
- Scott McTominay (Napoli, Scotland)
- Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, France)
- Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
- Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
- Pedri (Barcelona, Spain)
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea, England)
- Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France)
- Raphinha (Barcelona, Brazil)
- Declan Rice (Arsenal, England)
- Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain, Spain)
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)
- Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid, Brazil)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt)
- Florian Wirtz (Liverpool, Germany)
- Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)
