Men's Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: Do Cole Palmer, Mohamed Salah stand a chance against PSG's Champions League-winning stars?
Updated 25/08/2025 at 16:56 GMT+1
Welcome back to TNT Sports' 2025 Ballon d'Or Power Rankings. It is that time of the year again. The Paris ceremony is edging closer and the 30-player shortlists have now been announced. With no major men's international competitions this summer, all eyes are on players' club performances during the 2024/25 campaign, and it makes for a truly fascinating voting process.
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The countdown is well and truly on for the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony.
The 30-player shortlist for world football's most prestigious individual award was announced at the beginning of August - and with the Paris ceremony under a month away, it is now all eyes on the race for the trophy.
In typical Ballon d'Or style, the shortlist threw up expected names, and some more rogue contenders.
But what is certain is that a new men's player will be crowned the world's best, with 2024 winner Rodri not making the cut, owing to the anterior cruciate ligament injury which kept him out for almost the entirety of the 2024/25 season.
With no major international football this summer (bar the CONCACAF Gold Cup), all eyes are on each of the shortlisted players' club campaigns. Could we see Club World Cup performances have big consequences as a result?
As a reminder, contrary to previous years, the voting period has been changed to reflect performances across the past season of football rather than the calendar year.
How could this affect the voting? Let us find out. Here is the latest edition of TNT Sports' 2025 Ballon d'Or Power Rankings.
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Who do our pundits pick for the Ballon d'Or?
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10 – Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid, who won the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, exited last season's competition at the quarter-final stage and finished second in La Liga behind Barcelona.
However, despite some noise about his performances, Kylian Mbappe finished his first season in Spain with a mammoth 44 goals in all competitions, with five assists to boot.
That Madrid did not win either the league or the UEFA Champions League this season means it is hard to see the Frenchman making a real push for individual honours, particularly because France failed to win the UEFA Nations League, losing in the semi-finals to Spain.
Plus, Madrid were dismantled by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup.
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9 – Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)
No goalkeeper has won the Ballon d’Or since Lev Yashin in 1963, still the only time a shot-stopper has won the award. Will Gianluigi Donnarumma be the one who bucks that trend?
Not according to our estimations, but he has certainly made a valiant attempt.
Donnarumma, who appears on course for a transfer this summer, is one of a staggering nine current PSG players to feature on the shortlist - the Treble-winning European champions were rewarded with a record-high number of players for a single club to feature on the shortlist - a testament to their absolutely relentless 2024/25 campaign.
As we will discuss below, whilst performances over the season are important for Ballon d’Or voting, it has also been clear over the past few years how significant moments and symbolism are since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo moved outside of Europe.
To that end, a goalkeeper would have to have had a series of truly astonishing performances in both the Champions League and an international tournament. And even then, they could still be overlooked.
Like the rest of his PSG team-mates on this list, he will take a hit for the Club World Cup, particularly considering the Ballon d'Or voting notes fair play as one of the criteria.
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Watch PSG hero Donnarumma's best saves from both semi-final legs against Arsenal
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8 – Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
At one point last season, Mohamed Salah looked like a great bet to win the Ballon d’Or and become just the second African player to do so after George Weah in 1995. Unfortunately for Salah, whilst Liverpool did win the Premier League title, they were knocked out of the Champions League by PSG in the last 16.
On top of that, his own form tailed off, and he did not manage to equal Thierry Henry’s legendary feat of 20+ goals and 20+ assists in one Premier League season, even if no one in Europe can top his 47 league goal contributions. The Egyptian superstar will most likely have to wait to win the award he has admitted he wants.
The Premier League's top goalscorer secured a further two years at Anfield after signing a contract extension last season - can we expect much the same from him in his ninth and 10th years on Merseyside?
Liverpool have spent big this summer in their attempt to make the Premier League trophy a mainstay in their cabinet. With the likes of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike joining the club's attacking ranks this summer, Salah's few years as Liverpool's 'main man' may be coming to an end.
But for a player who provides almost as effectively as he scores, the added firepower could well boost his output. Salah will be 34 when next year's Ballon d'Or shortlist is announced - his age-defying numbers would suggest a place in next year's top-30 is not so far-fetched.
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7 – Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
Achraf Hakimi ended his season with 11 goals and 16 assists in all competitions, a truly astonishing return for a full-back, albeit an extremely attacking one. Similar to another player we will talk about in a short while, Hakimi is so much more than a full-back; he completely transcends the position.
However, are voters, and indeed the public, ready for a full-back to win the Ballon d’Or?
Similar to goalkeepers, the answer is probably no. But scoring goals in big games will always help. He did that in the Champions League final, albeit the Club World Cup counts against him.
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6 - Nuno Mendes (PSG)
Nuno Mendes did not quite match up to Hakimi in terms of numbers, but he was equally critical to PSG’s historic treble. What he does have over Hakimi for this period in voting is an international triumph, thanks to Portugal winning the UEFA Nations League.
Mendes was just as important for Portugal as he was for PSG, notably shutting down Lamine Yamal in the final of the Nations League against Spain. But as with Hakimi, can a full-back win? It seems unlikely, particularly after Chelsea targeted his side in the Club World Cup final.
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Mendes completes ‘hat-trick of fantastic goals’ as PSG put gloss on sublime display
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5 – Raphinha (Barcelona)
The rebirth of Raphinha has been astonishing - 34 goals and 25 assists in all competitions last year. Those are bonkers numbers no matter who you measure up against. In any other year, you would have to think that he would be the front-runner.
But similar to what we have discussed before, does Raphinha have those moments that you need? Yes, he scored at the end of the Champions League second leg against Internazionale, but that might not be remembered in the same way given the Italian side went on to win the semi-final.
Raphinha was a player re-invented under Hansi Flick last season. Might he repeat his antics under the German coach again next term?
After Barca's reported interest in Athletic Club winger Nico Williams was thwarted by the Spaniard signing an eight-year deal with the Basque team, Raphinha looks like he will again feature prominently - unless Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford can stake his consistent claim in the starting line-up.
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Raphinha thunderbolt - via Sommer - gives Barcelona latest equaliser in wild first leg
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4 – Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
The battle for the top has to be between PSG players, and it will likely go back and forth. Because of the kind of player he is and the tendency among footballing society to lean towards attackers and goalscorers, Ousmane Dembele seems like the obvious front-runner.
After all, 35 goals and 16 assists is a record anyone would be envious of.
Dembele is right there, but it does hurt him that France did not win the Nations League. Indeed in the semi-finals, three of France’s four goals came after he was taken off. Scoring against Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup helped, but bar one chance that was saved by Rob Sanchez, he was anonymous in the final.
A Ligue 1 title, the Champions League and a Coupe de France. Should that be enough to seal Ballon d'or glory for arguably the finest - and certainly most improved - forward in Europe last season? Perhaps - but we feel another PSG player has earned a spot higher on the list.
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Deschamps would '100 per cent' choose Dembele over Yamal for Ballon d'Or
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3 - Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
A massive riser out of nowhere, Palmer was not previously on this list but, hear us out.
The Ballon d'Or inherently is a 'moments award' as we have discussed before. In two finals at the end of the season, Palmer had two astonishing games, particularly against PSG. For all the talk before the final about how Chelsea would cope with PSG, Palmer dismantled the European champions, they had absolutely no answer for his wizardry.
But, last season, some teams did find a way to stop the 23-year-old - particularly during a barren spell which saw him embark on a four-month goal drought.
Is winning the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup enough for voters? It's going to be fascinating to find out.
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2 – Vitinha (PSG)
Rodri walked so Vitinha could run.
Where Rodri was the anchor that held Manchester City and Spain together, Vitinha is the heartbeat of PSG and Portugal. Without him, the other organs simply cannot function.
The central midfielder’s rise is nothing short of outstanding and what is perhaps most impressive is that he went from strength to strength as the season went on, as the games got harder.
En route to the final, PSG took out three of the top seven in England as well as beating the Italian champions in the final in record style. Vitinha might not have been the best player in every single game, but in the vast majority of them, he was in the top two or three performers on the pitch.
Vitinha followed it up with a starring role as Portugal edged Spain to win the Nations League, scoring in the shoot-out to continue his golden summer. The Club World Cup final sees him knocked off top spot, particularly given the way Chelsea went after him when he dropped into that left centre-back role, but we cannot forget Portugal's Nations League triumph in this; that is why he remains top of the PSG list. For now.
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Watch the incredible movement of Vitinha for PSG third
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1 – Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Yes, Lamine Yamal had a poor Nations League and yes, Barcelona did not win the Champions League, or even reach the final. But despite this, Barcelona won La Liga and the Copa del Rey, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, and Yamal was at the heart of it. The teenager finished with 18 goals and 25 assists across all competitions.
It is a tough decision between Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha, but the fact that you could make a genuine argument for a 17-year-old (now 18) being the best player in one of the two or three best teams in Europe is astonishing.
Again, when we talk about moments, his performances against Inter will live long in the memory for everyone, including voters. This may change over the summer, but in light of PSG's failure, he is our new No. 1.
Yamal is the holder of the Kopa Trophy - awarded to the best player under the age of 21. But now he is amongst the big hitters, and after finishing eighth in the running for last year's trophy, we believe Yamal is now in pole position to become the youngest winner in the history of the ceremony.
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Yamal, Rice, Mbappe, Doue: Top 20 UCL goals of the season
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Men's 2025 Ballon d'Or shortlist
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
- Ousmane Dembele (PSG, France)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG, Italy)
- Desire Doue (PSG, France)
- Denzel Dumfries (Internazionale, Netherlands)
- Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund, Guinea)
- Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal, Sweden)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
- Achraf Hakimi (PSG, Morocco)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG, Georgia)
- Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona, Poland)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool, Argentina)
- Lautaro Martinez (Internazionale, Argentina)
- Kylian Mbappe (PSG, France)
- Scott McTominay (Napoli, Scotland)
- Nuno Mendes (PSG, Portugal)
- Joao Neves (PSG, Portugal)
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea, England)
- Pedri (Barcelona, Spain)
- Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France)
- Raphinha (Barcelona, Brazil)
- Declan Rice (Arsenal, England)
- Fabian Ruiz (PSG, Spain)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt)
- Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid, Brazil)
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)
- Florian Wirtz (Liverpool, Germany)
- Vitinha (PSG, Portugal)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)
When and where is 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony?
The Ballon d'Or ceremony is slated to take place on September 22 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
Twelve trophies will be awarded throughout the evening, and TNT Sports will be providing live updates throughout.
Stream the Premier League, Serie A, Men’s and Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more on TNT Sports and discovery+
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