Ballon d'Or Rankings: Can anyone challenge the Barcelona boys?
The race for the top individual accolade in men's soccer has never been more open. With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's duopoly well and truly over - neither was nominated for the Ballon d'Or last year - opportunity beckons. Rodri took full advantage in 2024. Who will do the same this year? Each month until the award is presented in October, we'll publish fresh rankings looking at the top contenders. Here are the 10 leading candidates right now.
Previous edition: March
10. Declan Rice
Previous: Unranked
Rice rocketed himself into contention with the signature performance of the Champions League season thus far, scoring two stupendous free-kicks in Arsenal's quarterfinal victory over reigning champions Real Madrid.
His chance of becoming the first Englishman in over two decades to win the Ballon d'Or hinges entirely on the continental competition; in a year without a major international summer tournament, that rings true for several players. If Rice can replicate his incredible performances against Madrid and power Arsenal to its first Champions League title with his dominant box-to-box ability, he'll continue climbing in the eyes of the voters.
9. Lautaro Martinez
Previous: Unranked
Their treble dream may have been extinguished, but Inter are still very much in contention for both the Scudetto and, crucially in this conversation, the Champions League title. Martinez, their captain and top scorer across all competitions this season, is leading that charge.
He's on a tear in the Champions League with goals in each of his last five fixtures in the tournament. The feisty striker would see his Ballon d'Or chances soar if he can help orchestrate the ouster of Barcelona in the semifinals. That would give him a leg up on several direct challengers for the honor, and an additional match in the final, win or lose, would help his quest to be the tournament's top scorer.
8. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Previous: Unranked
When all is said and done this season, Kvaratskhelia may have played a critical role in two teams winning a combined four trophies. He left Napoli in January after helping the club establish itself as a title contender. Despite being gone for months, he's still the squad's fourth-highest scorer in Serie A this season.
But it's at PSG where he's hit another gear. The Georgian winger's arrival transformed Luis Enrique's team into a genuine Champions League threat by unlocking the squad's full attacking potential. Kvaratskhelia could help PSG win a treble, and, unlike the Barcelona contingent, is really only sharing any Ballon d'Or limelight with one other teammate.
7. Kylian Mbappe
Previous: 2
Mbappe's Ballon d'Or bid has mostly cratered over the past month. He was one of our top candidates in March, when Real Madrid were still in treble contention and he was filling the net with regularity. Since then, Los Blancos were eliminated from the Champions League and lost the Copa del Rey final to bitter rivals Barcelona, while Mbappe missed time due to injury.
Mbappe's dwindling chances of individual hardware rest almost exclusively on Real Madrid hunting down Barca in the race for the La Liga title. However, his personal numbers - scoring more goals in his debut campaign with Madrid than Cristiano Ronaldo did - and opportunity to win the Club World Cup and Nations League this summer mean he can't be ruled out just yet.
6. Pedri
Previous: 9
Rodri's triumph last year gave midfielders everywhere renewed hope that they can disrupt the hegemony that attacking players have over this award. Pedri is already the midfield conductor for a Barcelona side that's halfway to a quadruple. If he keeps adding exquisite goals to his repertoire, like the stunner he scored in the Copa del Rey final, he'll only continue surging.
"Since Rodri won the Ballon d'Or, it has become clear that a player who controls the midfield and dictates the tempo of the game can win this award," the Spaniard said Monday, according to Fabrizio Romano. "It has always been my dream to win the Ballon d'Or, but right now, my focus is on team trophies."
5. Robert Lewandowski
Previous: 7
Lewandowski's hamstring injury came at an inopportune time for the Polish striker and his club. Recency bias plays a role in Ballon d'Or voting, and Lewandowski missing crucial games down the stretch will hurt his chances in relation to his teammates who are also in contention.
But his raw numbers are still spectacular; Lewandowski leads Barca with 40 goals across all competitions this season, reaching that tally in only 48 matches. The desire to right the perceived wrong of 2021, when he finished second to Lionel Messi in a year many thought he was more deserving of the accolade, also can't be ignored.
4. Mohamed Salah
Previous: 3
Liverpool clinching the Premier League title means Salah probably has the best body of work of any contender right now. He'll also likely end the campaign with more goal involvements than any player ever in a single Premier League season. Salah has been magnificent in every way in 2024-25. But his ceiling is capped compared to his peers.
The Reds' inability to secure any other titles this season obviously hurts his case, and that will only be magnified as the Champions League rumbles on and the big-eared trophy is handed out. The Egyptian superstar is a shoo-in for the PFA Player of the Year, but it seems certain that the Ballon d'Or is just out of his reach.
3. Lamine Yamal
Previous: 5
What Yamal is doing as a 17-year-old is largely unprecedented. For context, Messi, the icon he's so often compared to, played 70 league minutes for Barcelona during his age-17 season, scoring one goal. Yamal is just shy of 4,000 minutes across all competitions this season, starting 45 games and racking up 34 goal involvements (14 goals, 20 assists) in the process.
The youngest player in history to win the Ballon d'Or is Brazilian legend Ronaldo, who was 21 when he captured the first of his two golden trophies in 1997. Yamal, last year's recipient of the Kopa Trophy as the game's best young player, has a very real chance of smashing Ronaldo's benchmark. The scariest part? If not this year, he'll still have multiple opportunities to break the long-standing record.
2. Ousmane Dembele
Previous: 4
If anyone's going to stop Barcelona from adding to their joint-record 12 Ballon d'Or wins as a club - level with Real Madrid, of course - Dembele is the most logical candidate. At this point, he's probably the only non-Barca player with a realistic shot.
The French winger has already helped PSG seal another domestic title, and he currently has a healthy lead in the race for Ligue 1's scoring crown. The capital-based club is also a humongous favorite to win the Coupe de France final in late May. It really all comes down to the Champions League, where PSG are looking to end their excruciating wait and lift the coveted trophy for the first time.
1. Raphinha
Previous: 1
Nothing that's happened since our inaugural edition of these rankings has changed the state of play: Raphinha remains the front-runner. If anything, his case has been strengthened by Barcelona's triumph in the Copa del Rey final.
The former Leeds United winger has an absurd 51 goal involvements in 50 matches across all competitions this season. He's lighting up the scoreboard in the most high-profile matches, too, and sits just two shy of Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most goal contributions in a Champions League season (21). If Barcelona add either the Champions League or La Liga title to the Copa del Rey and Supercopa they've already claimed, it's hard to envision anyone beating the Brazilian to the honor. If they end up with both, winning the quadruple, it's curtains for the rest of the field.