Who will win Ballon d’Or 2025? Date and contenders including Lamine Yamal

The Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place earlier than usual this year

As we approach the season’s end, many are already hedging their bets on who will be crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner.

There have been an array of standout performers across Europe’s top leagues, with a handful of surprise superstars staking their claim for football’s most illustrious individual award.

While the Champions League final could prove decisive for those representing Paris Saint-Germain or Inter Milan, this summer’s Club World Cup will pose a major opportunity for the frontrunners to leave an impression on the big stage.

But unlike it previous years, players will not have the chance to use the first months of next term to enter the running, with the awards ceremony pushed up from its usual winter slot.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

When is the 2025 Ballon d’Or?

The 69th edition of the Ballon d’Or will take place in Monday 22 September at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

Who are the top contenders?

The Independent's top five contenders for the 2025 Ballon d'Or

1. Mohamed Salah

2. Ousmane Dembele

3. Lamine Yamal

4. Raphinha

5. Lautaro Martinez

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool talisman Salah has put together one of the all-time great individual Premier League seasons as the rocket fuel behind Arne Slot’s debut season title win.

With 28 goals and 18 assists in 36 games, he is just one goal contribution away from matching the all-time record for involvements in a single campaign, a record jointly held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole - both of whom set their records in 42-match seasons.

While the Reds fell to PSG in their push for a seventh Champions League title, Salah’s individual exploits this season have been nevertheless remarkable, propelling Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight crown.

Arguably the best campaign of a player who has netted 20-plus goals in eight consecutive seasons at Anfield, there is a strong argument that recognition under the Ballon d’Or banner is long overdue.

Mohamed Salah has been integral to Liverpool’s title success (Getty Images)

Ousmane Dembele

Dembele spent seven years haunted by the £135.5m price tag Barcelona paid for him back in 2017, having never set the Camp Nou alive during his spell in Catalonia. But back in his homeland, the Frenchman is finally proving his worth.

The prolific forward has been the leading light in PSG’s electric attack this season, notching a staggering 33 goals and 13 assists for Luis Enrique’s redefined side.

As well as propelling the Parisians to a comfortable Ligue 1 title - the minimum requirement for a PSG season - his goals have come good in the Champions League, taking them in touching distance of the club’s holy grail.

We know how important winning Europe’s premier competition can be in deciding the recipient of the Ballon d’Or - an influential performance in Munich could make the award a lock for Dembele.

Ousmane Dembele is finally proving that his £100m-plus price tag is warranted (Getty Images)

Lamine Yamal

Barcelona’s latest teenage sensation going for GOAT status.

Yamal is almost certain to pick up a Ballon d’Or in years to come, if not a fair few. But don’t count him out of the running this season.

The 17-year-old Spaniard has been integral to Barcelona’s domestic success this season, boasting 18 goals and 25 assists in all competitions. A player who rises to the occasion when it most matters, he inspired the Blaugrana’s sublime 4-3 comeback win in May’s crucial El Clasico, ending Real Madrid’s hopes of a late-season LaLiga comeback story.

He is already getting worthy comparisons to Lionel Messi, but could well win his first Ballon d’Or four years earlier than his idol managed.

Lamine Yamal, 17, is all but guaranteed to win a Ballon d’Or at some point down the line - but could his first come this year? (REUTERS)

Raphinha

The ex-Leeds man would not have been high on many people’s list of Ballon d’Or contenders last August, but Raphinha has stamped his mark as one of the world’s best this term.

After kicking off the campaign in electrifying fashion, the Brazilian has racked up eye-watering goal record with 34 goals and 25 assists in just 56 games as Barca have stormed to the LaLiga title.

Barcelona’s gut-wrenching failure in the Champions League did not come without the efforts of Raphinha - the competition’s joint-top scorer with 13. He netted three across their enthralling semi-final tie with Inter Milan, which ended 7-6 on aggregate in favour of the Nerazzuri.

A player who initially failed to impress in Catalonia following his 2022 move is now one of the first names on the team-sheet. But just like with Yamal, missing out on Europe’s top prize could prove his downfall in the pursuit of Ballon d’Or glory.

Not many would have pegged ex-Leeds man Raphinha to be a frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or (AP)

Lautaro Martinez

Out of all the contenders, Inter frontman Martinez is most reliant on team honours to stand a fighting chance in the push for Ballon d’Or.

He has been integral to Simone Inzaghi’s side this season as they vie for both silverware in both the Serie A and Champions League, but his individual record is not as spectacular as his fellow frontrunners, recording 22 goals and seven assists in 48 games.

Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez may be reliant on team success to stand a chance against such stiff competition (AP)

Saying that, the Ballon d’Or will be the last thing on his mind. Serie A is going down to the last day with Napoli a point ahead, days before Inter face the toughest of European finals with PSG waiting in Munich.

Winning either accolade may be enough to keep Martinez in the race - but if he can then inspire an inaugural Club World Cup triumph in the United States, he’s status as a top contender will be undeniable.