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The race for the 2025 Ballon d'Or award has been heating up in the last few months. With major European club seasons ending in May, attention has now shifted to international football and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Traditionally, the outcome of the UEFA Champions League has a significant impact on the Ballon d'Or race. PSG superstar Ousmane Dembele will be quietly confident of claiming the top prize. However, the brilliance of players like Mohamed Salah and Lamine Yamal throughout the season cannot be discounted as well.
FIFA Club World Cup could provide the final push for PSG's Ballon d'Or contenders
This year, in particular, there are several strong contenders for the prestigious individual award. In what could be the tightest Ballon d'Or race in recent years, the presence of PSG in the Club World Cup could play a huge role in the final outcome.
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With Barcelona and Liverpool not part of the tournament, this could be the time for the likes of Dembele and even Nuno Mendes to give themselves a final push in the Ballon d'Or race.
Without further ado, let us take a look at the top 5 favorites to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or award:
#5 Nuno Mendes (PSG/Portugal)
Defenders very rarely win the Ballon d'Or award, but can anyone ignore Nuno Mendes' performances this season for club and country? The Portuguese left-back has had a stellar season and won an incredible treble with PSG, playing a starring role in their UEFA Champions League campaign.
However, what most impressed fans and pundits across the world was his performance in the UEFA Nations League final against Spain. The 22-year-old Portuguese star completely neutralised the threat of Lamine Yamal and put in a Man of the Match performance in the final, scoring a goal and playing a crucial role in Critsitano Ronaldo's equaliser.
A man for the big occasions this season, Mendes' performance against his fellow Ballon d'Or contenders like Mohamed Salah and Lamine Yamal proved that he is arguably the best left-back in world football at the moment.
With a strong performance in the FIFA Club World Cup, Nuno Mendes could become a surprise contender for the top spot.
#4 Raphinha (Barcelona/Brazil)
One of the early favorites to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or, Raphina has had a stellar campaign for Barcelona. With 18 goals and 9 assists for Barcelona in La Liga, the Brazilian forward was decisive in ensuring that the Catalan giants reclaimed the League title.
The 28-year-old Brazilian also had a brilliant UEFA Champions League campaign and managed an incredible 13 goals and 8 assists in 14 UCL appearances this season.
With Lamine Yamal on one side and Raphinha on the other, Barcelona fans will be hoping to add European glory to their domestic triumph next season.
#3 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/Egypt)
Mohamed Salah's astonishing Premier League season should not be forgotten based on recent events in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Nations League. Winner of the Premier League Golden Boot and the Premier League Playmaker award for the most number of assists, Salah was quite simply the key factor in Liverpool's historic league triumph.
Salah himself believes that he has a good chance of claiming the Ballon d'Or award. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:
"I would say I never had a season like this and winning big trophies so I would say this is my best chance to get it right now while I'm in the club because it's been a crazy year, a crazy season with a trophy,"
With 29 goals and 18 assists in the Premier League this season, the Egyptian King has broken plenty of records and will be hopeful of finishing in the top 5 positions for the Ballon d'Or award in 2025.
#2 Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
Just a week back, Lamine Yamal was probably the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or. The Barcelona youngster had just put on an attacking masterclass against Ousmane Dembele's France and had inspired Spain to the UEFA Nations League final.
However, Nuno Mendes and Portugal had other plans in the final, and pipped Spain on penalties to claim the Nations League trophy. While Yamal might have fallen short in both the UCL and the UNL, individually, he has had a breathtaking season.
Still only 17 and already one of the most technically gifted players in the world, Lamine Yamal's dribbling skills, passing and vision have already given opposition defenders plenty of nightmares.
Almost guaranteed to finish in the top 3 of the 2025 Ballon d'Or rankings at just 17 years of age, Yamal is well poised to win the award multiple times before his career ends.
#1 Ousmane Dembele (PSG/France)
Ousmane Dembele has been absolutely brilliant for PSG this year. A key protagonist in their historic treble-winning season, it is tough to look past the Frenchman for the Ballon d'Or award in 2025.
Always adept at going past players, Dembele in the last 12 months has added an end product to his game and scored some crucial goals for PSG in both Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League.
With the FIFA Club World Cup coming up, Dembele could add another trophy to his incredible collection. At the moment, the PSG forward is undoubtedly the favorite to win the prestigious individual award.
