The 69th edition of the Ballon d’Or will take place on Monday 22 September at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The award, which is considered the most prestigious individual award in the sport, is given to the best player from the previous season.
The award has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent times. From 2008-2023, they shared 13 of the 15 Ballon d’Or trophies, with Messi winning eight times and Ronaldo picking up the trophy on five occasions.
However, the duo are no longer at the peak of their powers, allowing others to pick up the trophy. Rodri was last year’s edition as he narrowly beat Vinicius Jr to the crown. But who will win it in 2025?
Jamie Carragher Names His Top 6 Contenders For 2025 Ballon d’Or
The 30 nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or were revealed at the start of August. Jamie Carragher, speaking on CBS Sports Golazo, has now whittled that list down and named his top six contenders.
Paris Saint-Germain were brilliant in the 2024/25 campaign as they won four trophies, including the Ligue 1 title and the Champions League for the first time in their history. Carragher has named two of their players in his top six: Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi.
Barcelona also had a great season under Hansi Flick. While they fell short in their big to win the Champions League, they managed to win a domestic treble. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha make Carragher’s top six.
Even though Real Madrid ended the campaign without silverware, that wasn’t Kylian Mbappe’s fault, as he scored 44 times in what was a superb debut season at the club. He makes Carragher’s top six, as does Mohamed Salah, who had arguably the best season of his career as he fired Liverpool to their second Premier League title. After revealing his list, Carragher said:
“I think for me they’re the top six players. All of those players have got a decent shout.”
Thierry Henry Names His 2025 Ballon d’Or Winner
Thierry Henry came ever so close to winning the Ballon d’Or in his career, finishing runner-up to Pavel Nedved in 2003 and recording a third-placed finish in 2006. He had no doubt who should win this year’s award after seeing Carragher’s top six.
Henry, despite playing for Barcelona during his career, thinks Dembele should beat Yamal to this year’s award. “I don’t even have to talk,” he said as he gave his compatriot his backing. Carragher also agrees and thinks the Frenchman should pick up the trophy for the first time on Monday.
Dembele himself has spoken about his Ballon d’Or hopes and has shared how much winning it would mean to him. He told FourFourTwo: “After a season like that – four titles, scoring, assisting – it is normal to be considered one of the favourites for the award.
“For an individual trophy, there’s nothing better for a footballer. It’s the Holy Grail of football. When you see all the legends who have won it, it’s exceptional.”