Who is likely to win the Ballon d'Or in 2025?
With the 2025 Ballon d’Or approaching on Monday evening, just who are experts predicting to walk away with the top award?. Picture: Mateusz Birecki / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP, Image Editing by IOL
Image: Mateusz Birecki / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP, Image Editing by IOL
With the Ballon d’Or set to be held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday evening, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah is one of the favourites, but not the outright favourite, to win the biggest award in football.
The top contenders for the award alongside Liverpool’s Salah are Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), and Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid).
Salah has never won the top award in football, but this is the sixth time he has been nominated.
It means he is also tied for the most nominations of any Liverpool player alongside club legends Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard.
Salah’s Key Role in Liverpool’s Premier League Success
For Salah, it would be fitting to be awarded the individual accolade after forming a vital cog in the Liverpool attack in two Premier League title-winning campaigns, including their first League trophy in 30 years.
Though Salah scored 34 goals and provided 23 assists, and his record-tying 47 Premier League goal involvements, he is not considered the favourite for the title. At 33, it’s difficult to see Salah having a better chance again in his career to win the award.
Dembele Leads as Top Favourite, with Yamal as Closest Competition
The experts point to Dembele as the biggest favourite. The 28-year-old had 43 goal contributions in 44 Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League games last season. Of course, PSG went on to thrash Inter Milan 5-0 in the final earlier this year.
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It was also the first Champions League victory for PSG in its history. PSG also were crowned Ligue 1 champions last season, and therefore it’s difficult to argue they were not the most successful football club in the world last year.
The 18-year-old Brazilian sensation, Yamal, is believed to be Dembele’s closest competition. The Barcelona star scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists across all competitions last year.