Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance of the Ballon d’Or ceremonies is officially ended these days. Football’s most coveted individual trophy was raised in 2024 by Rodri, the cornerstone of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and this time it went to Ousmane Dembele, who became the 47th different champion.
Although the Frenchman, who led Paris Saint-Germain to victory in the 2024–2025 season, was brilliant from beginning to end, there are doubts about the ceremony’s legitimacy and whether it truly honours the best football player in the world.
Dembele might have won; Michael Olise finished last on the 30-man list, while Lamine Yamal and Raphinha finished second and third, respectively. At GIVEMESPORT, we have compiled a ranking of the 30 nominees in an effort to create an accurate list of where each athlete ought to have finished at this year’s ceremony.
30–26
Despite all of his hard work leading up to the Champions League final at the Allianz Arena, Denzel Dumfries suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat against PSG in the closing stages. His Inter Milan team, who was then led by Simone Inzaghi, was defeated by Napoli and did not win Serie A either.
Serhou Guirassy, the goal machine for Borussia Dortmund, scored a lot of goals, of course, but his trophy haul—or lack thereof—means that a 29th-place finish would have been adequate. Florian Wirtz, who only won the German Super Cup in 2024–2025 prior to joining Liverpool, is comparable.
Two midfielders, Jude Bellingham and Fabian Ruiz, should have placed 26th and 27th, respectively. Despite playing a crucial role in his team’s journey to their first-ever Champions League triumph, the former was overshadowed by his midfield teammates, who enjoyed an off-season with no achievements.
The proper ranking for the Ballon d’Or: 30-26
Rank
The player
Group
Country of origin
30.
Dumfries, Denzel
Milan Inter
The Netherlands
29.
Guirassy Serhou
Dortmund Borussia
Guinea
28.
Wirtz, Florian
Liverpool/Bayer Leverkusen
Germany
27.
Ruiz Fabian
Saint-Germain, Paris
Spain
26.
Bellingham, Jude
Real Madrid
England
25–21
Goals have followed the Swedish shooter wherever Viktor Gyokeres has played football. He scored 54 goals in 52 games while he was at Arsenal, but overall, he didn’t make European football very exciting. If you ignore goal contributions, Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool was a shining example in every way.
Over the course of his career, Robert Lewandowski has matured like a good wine. During his team’s domestic triple, the 37-year-old Polish line-leader, who was coached by Hansi Flick at Barcelona, scored 42 goals across all competitions. However, his attacking teammates frequently overshadowed the seasoned forward.
After nearly winning in 2024, Vinicius Jr. struggled to do as well this time around. The struggling Real Madrid star should have ended in 22nd place, one spot behind Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez, who scored 24 goals in all competitions the previous season. The Champions League accounted for nine of those.
The proper ranking for the Ballon d’Or: 25–21
Rank
The player
Group
Country of origin
25.
Gyokeres, Viktor
Playing CP/Arsenal
Sweden
24.
Allister, Alexis Mac
Liverpool
Argentina
23.
Lewandowski, Robert
Barcelona
Poland
22.
Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid
Brazil
21.
Martinez, Lautaro
Milan Inter
Argentina
20–16
Even if the talismanic Erling Haaland had a subpar season in 2024–2025 in terms of goals scored, his total was still in the top tier. The Norwegian, who has turned winning trophies into a pastime rather than a chore, lost all of his trophies the previous season, which hurt his standing overall.
When Scott McTominay left Manchester United in the summer of 2024, no one anticipated that he would be nominated for the Ballon d’Or. However, the Scotland midfielder won over everyone in the third-largest Italian city and was crucial to Napoli’s Serie A-winning season in 2024–2025.
With 22 goals and 24 assists in the previous season, Michael Olise’s eye-opening £50 million move to Bayern Munich has clearly paid off. Olise was always destined for greatness. Although Declan Rice of Arsenal didn’t have the same impact going forward, his all-action midfield performance suggests that finishing in 16th place would have made far more sense than finishing in 27th.
How 20-16 should have been the ranking for the Ballon d’Or
Rank
The player
Group
Country of origin
20.
Haaland, Erling
City of Manchester
Norway
19.
McTominay, Scott
Napoli
Scotland
18.
Diane Rumma Gianluigi
Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain
Italy
17.
Olise, Michael
The Bayern Munich
France
16.
Rice, Declan
The Arsenal
England
15–11
Virgil van Dijk, a fixture for both Liverpool and the Netherlands, played a key role in the former’s Premier League-winning season. The Anfield supporters are naturally annoyed by his 28th-place rating in the real rankings. Given his overall significance, a 15th-place finish seems much more fair to us.
Cole Palmer, who is considered to be among the best English football players at the moment, won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup with Chelsea, while Joao Neves and Kvhicha Kvaratskhelia, who both play for PSG under Enrique, were essential to their team’s run to the Champions League final.
Nuno Mendes’ brilliance has been apparent for a long time, and at last the Portuguese player is starting to receive the recognition he deserves. He has won the Nations League, Ligue 1, the Champions League, the Trophee des Champions, and the Coupe de France in the last year, but he doesn’t rank in the top ten for us.
How 15-11 should have been the ranking for the Ballon d’Or
Rank
The player
Group
Country of origin
15.
Van Dijk, Virgil
Liverpool
The Netherlands
14.
Neves, Joao
Saint-Germain, Paris
Portugal
13.
Kvaratskhelia Kvicha
Saint-Germain, Paris
Georgia
12.
Palmer, Cole
Chelsea
England
11.
Mendes Nuno
Saint-Germain, Paris
Portugal
10–6
Even if it’s difficult to stand out in the French city, Desire Doue, 20, managed to make it into our top 10 by showcasing a number of noteworthy moments during the past year or so. The glamorous Frenchman, whose last name means “gifted” in English, placed 14th in the actual rankings.
Doue’s teammate Achraf Hakimi should have finished higher because he was crucial to Luis Enrique and company’s Champions League-winning campaign, both offensively and defensively. Harry Kane, an accomplished finisher for England and Bayern Munich, should have placed eighth because of his versatility.
That puts him just one spot below Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid, who is considered by many to be among the world’s top football players. Midfielder Pedri, the centre of Hansi Flick’s Barcelona team, made a solid argument for a considerably higher rating despite finishing 11th in the actual 30-man list.
How 10-6 should have been the ranking for the Ballon d’Or
Rank
The player
Group
Country of origin
10.
Desire Doue
Saint-Germain, Paris
France
9.
Hakimi Achraf
Saint-Germain, Paris
Morocco
8.
Kane, Harry
The Bayern Munich
England
7.
Mbappe Kylian
Real Madrid
France
6.
Pedri
Barcelona
Spain
5-1
In the real standings, Vitinha of Paris Saint-Germain finished with a bronze medal, but is that a little too high? He still stays under the radar. Undoubtedly incredibly gifted, both Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Raphinha of Barcelona should have finished higher based on their respective goal totals.
After Kylian Mbappe left PSG, eventual champion Ousmane Dembele, who had been called a failure after his turbulent time in Spain, began to shine. But is he really the world’s best football player? That question, which ought to be the most significant clue about the Ballon d’Or, has a tangible response.
The most deserving recipient of the prize would have been Lamine Yamal, who has destroyed numerous Barcelona and Spain records at his feet. That’s because, in terms of football, he is the best of the best; there isn’t anyone better than the young phenom who is defeating the globe.
How 5-1 should have been the ranking for the Ballon d’Or
Rank
The player
Group
Country of origin
5.
The Vitinha
Saint-Germain, Paris
Portugal
4.
Raphinha
Barcelona
Brazil
3.
Salah Mohamed
Liverpool
Egypt
2.
Dembele Ousmane
Saint-Germain, Paris
France
1.
Yamal Lamine
Barcelona
Spain
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