The 2025 Ballon d'Or breakdown: PSG set staggering record, Arsenal dominate women's shortlist and Scott McTominay's historic Scotland feat
Updated 08/08/2025 at 11:31 GMT+1
The Ballon d'Or is upon us once again - and with it, endless debate over who deserves to lift the trophy which represents the greatest individual achievement over the course of a year in world football. With the 30-player shortlists announced for the main awards, as well as all 12 other awards having their nominees locked in, TNT Sports takes a detailed look at some of the stand-out statistics.
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It is almost unfathomable to think you could nearly field an entire starting line-up of Paris Saint-Germain players who made the 30-player shortlist for the 2025 Men's Ballon d'Or.
But that is the reality for a team who displayed such relentless dominance during the 2024/25 campaign.
PSG's staggering representation among the nominees for this year's Ballon d'Or trophy is just one of the many storylines ahead of the ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on September 22 in Paris.
Twelve trophies will be distributed on the night, crowning world football's most impressive stars over the past 12 months. On all fronts, it is an incredibly difficult iteration to predict.
But one thing is for sure, a new men's Ballon d'Or holder will be crowned. Rodri, the 2024 winner, was not on the men's shortlist after a season out injured. Aitana Bonmati, who picked up the women's award last year, could defend her title - having made the 30-player list after yet another excellent season.
TNT Sports has taken a look at all the talking points ahead of next month's ceremony.
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PSG set remarkable new record
There was a familiar theme among the list of nominees for the 2025 Men's Ballon d'Or.
That is because nearly a third of the list comprised PSG players.
Luis Enrique's side, despite a slow start to the 2024/25 campaign, picked up pace almost overnight and went on to post one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory - claiming the Ligue 1 title, the UEFA Champions League and Coupe de France.
A total of nine PSG players made the shortlist - a Ballon d'Or record, according to the French club.
The nominees from the PSG squad are as follows:
- Ousmane Dembele
- Desire Doue
- Gianluigi Donnarumma
- Achraf Hakimi
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
- Nuno Mendes
- Joao Neves
- Fabian Ruiz
- Vitinha
As a result, multiple PSG players have also filtered into the other Ballon d'Or categories.
Doue and Mendes, for example, are in the 10-man shortlist for the Kopa Trophy - the award for the best under-21 player.
Meanwhile, Donnarumma is up for the Men's Yashin Trophy, battling with nine other goalkeepers for the award. And of course, Luis Enrique is among the nominees for the Johan Cruyff Trophy for best coach.
PSG's fantastic representation is capped off by being shortlisted for the Men's Club of the Year Trophy.
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Arsenal prove a dominant force
While PSG's endeavours in the men's bracket will take many plaudits, Arsenal are not far behind in the women's race.
A total of seven Gunners are included among the nominees for the Women's Ballon d'Or award, beating the usually-dominant Barcelona, who have six.
Not bad for a side who underwent a mid-season managerial change.
Renee Slegers breathed new life into Arsenal and led the north London club to their second UEFA Women's Champions League trophy, defeating Barca 1-0 in the final.
The European title has clearly played a significant role in the formation of the shortlist. Three of the seven Arsenal nominees are English, with their stakes boosted by the successful European Championship title defence this summer.
Another Arsenal player and England hero, Michelle Agyemang, is also in with a shot of individual glory in Paris. The 19-year-old, who spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, has been nominated for the Women's Kopa Trophy.
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Who was unlucky to miss out?
Might Alexander Isak feel aggrieved to have not even made the top 30 players in the world?
Well, these are the quirks of the Ballon d'Or system laid bare. Had it been based on individual ability and scoring statistics alone, Isak would surely have made the shortlist.
Alas, a fifth-placed finish, 23 Premier League goals and an EFL Trophy does not quite cut it for world football's most prestigious individual trophy.
PSG may have dominated the men's shortlist, but one of their most popular players may feel hard done by not to be included.
Brazilian defender Marquinhos was one of their key defenders as they stormed to their first Champions League crown, but he will not be in the running for the award when it is announced in September.
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In the shortlist for the women's trophy, Rasheedat Ajibade feels a glaring omission. The 25-year-old netted seven goals and assisted three in last season's Liga F campaign for Atletico Madrid, but her more noteworthy contribution was for Nigeria in their WAFCON-winning summer, as the forward was named Player of the Tournament.
Kim Little could surely have added to Arsenal's representation, too. Captaining your team to European glory is no mean feat, and the Scottish midfielder was incredibly impressive throughout the Champions League campaign. Now 35 years old, Little has emerged as a hugely significant figure in the middle of the park.
Spain best represented nation
Among all the player categories, Spain is the best represented nation across the shortlists.
These are calculated among the nominees for the men's and women's Ballon d'Or, Kopa Trophy, and Yashin trophy.
The breakdown of which is as follows:
- Three Spanish players in Men's Ballon d'Or shortlist
- Six Spanish players in Women's Ballon d'Or shortlist
- Three Spanish players in Men's Kopa Trophy shortlist
- One Spanish player in Women's Kopa Trophy shortlist
- One Spanish player in Men's Yashin Trophy shortlist
- One Spanish player in Women's Yashin Trophy shortlist
The next best represented nation is England, with 12 players across the categories. France, meanwhile, have a total of nine.
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McTominay leads the Scottish charge
Who would have thought, a year on from Scott McTominay's Manchester United exit, that the Scottish midfielder would end up with a Ballon d'Or nomination?
The 28-year-old has been transformed under Antonio Conte at Napoli, and after helping the club to the 2024/25 Scudetto, he was named Serie A's MVP.
Per The Times, McTominay's inclusion in the Ballon d'Or shortlist marks the first time a men's Scottish player has been among the nominees for the award since a certain TNT Sports pundit, Ally McCoist, back in 1987.
McTominay has reaped his due reward for a truly fantastic 2024/25 season, and the United hierarchy will surely be kicking themselves for sanctioning his exit, as - without wishing to add insult to injury - not a single United player features on any of the shortlists.
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Youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history?
Lamine Yamal, 18, is considered among the front-runners to win the main men's award next month.
The Barcelona forward, who had to settle for an eighth-placed finish and Kopa Trophy triumph last year, was a key cog in Barcelona's fierce attack as the Catalan club claimed a domestic treble.
Ronaldo Nazario, otherwise known as 'R9', remains the record-holder for the youngest winner of the Ballon d'Or - aged 21 in 1997.
Yamal could astonishingly smash that record by three years should he win the trophy in Paris next month.
Check out where TNT Sports ranks Yamal's chances at lifting the Ballon d'Or in our Power Rankings here.
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