Summary The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony took place in Paris on Monday, September 22. PSG players dominated the rankings after winning the Champions League, with eight players in the top 30. Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer also finished in the top 10 after starring for both Liverpool and Chelsea.
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award in football and numerous legends of the game have picked up the honour since its creation in 1956.
Voted for by an international jury of journalists, Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the award in 2024 after a sensational season at the Etihad. But with the 30 nominees now ranked, here is the final 2025 Ballon d’Or standings.
Ballon d'Or final rankings in pictures Detailed look at the 2025 Ballon d'Or top 20 20 Lautaro Martinez Inter Milan and Argentina
Striker Lautaro Martinez came close to winning the Champions League in 2024/25, with the Inter Milan captain playing a key role in their run to the final, scoring nine goals in 14 European appearances.
In Serie A, the Argentine also hit double figures for goals for the sixth successive season, seeing him finish in 20th place.
19 Joao Neves PSG and Portugal
One of many PSG regulars who finished in the top 30 is midfielder Joao Neves, who is starting to show why the French giants splashed the cash on his services in 2024.
His first full season at the Parc des Princes couldn’t have gone better, playing regularly and lifting all there was to be won in Paris. Neves was called crucial to PSG’s Champions League success due to his “immense physical commitment”.
18 Scott McTominay Napoli and Scotland
After leaving Manchester United for Napoli in 2024, Scott McTominay enjoyed a brilliant first season in Italy, guiding them to a Serie A title.
In fact, the Scottish midfielder was named as the Serie A MVP for 2024/25 as he contributed to 18 goals in 34 league games. Finishing above the likes of Erling Haaland and Virgil van Dijk shows just how far McTominay has come.
17 Robert Lewandowski Barcelona and Poland
At the age of 37, Robert Lewandowski has continued to score goals at the highest level, finding the back of the net on 42 occasions in 2024/25.
The Poland international has had some incredible attacking players around him under Hansi Flick and has won the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana and La Liga. However, Lewandowski missed most of Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan through injury.
16 Vinicius Jr Real Madrid and Brazil
After finishing second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings and not turning up to the event, Vinicius Jr was looking to win the prestigious award in 2025.
However, with Real Madrid missing out on the La Liga title and also being knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, the Ballon d’Or wasn’t going to a Galactico.
Vinicius Jr has still contributed to 39 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions, though, winning the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup.
15 Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal and Sweden
One of Europe’s best strikers around at this moment in time is Viktor Gyokeres, who has now signed for Arsenal from Sporting CP. After an outstanding first season in Portugal, Gyokeres backed that up in 2024/25 with more than 50 goals in all competitions.
No player has scored more in Europe, and the Sweden international rounded off the campaign by winning both the Liga Portugal and Taca de Portugal and has already opened his account for the Gunners.
14 Desire Doue PSG and France
Desire Doue has proven to be a gem of a signing for PSG and impressed as a starter later in the season, despite sometimes being in the shadows of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele.
However, the 20-year-old starred in big moments, providing two assists in the Coupe de France final while scoring two goals and getting an assist in the Champions League final. Those displays saw him finish 14th, and he looks destined to pick up the Ballon d’Or at some point in his career.
13 Harry Kane Bayern Munich and England
Bayern Munich and England star Harry Kane continued to score goals for fun in Germany and finally won the first major piece of silverware of his career.
The striker lifted the Bundesliga title in 2024/25, scoring 41 goals and providing 14 assists in all competitions during the season.
12 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia PSG and Georgia
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made the move to Paris Saint-Germain in January and went on to help the French giants win the Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France, and the Champions League, scoring in the final against Inter Milan.
The first half of the 2024/25 season saw Kvaratskhelia star for Napoli, who also won Serie A, before his big money move to France, so the Georgia icon’s two league winners medals helped him to a high ranking.
11 Pedri Barcelona and Spain
Running the midfield for Barcelona has been Pedri, who remained injury free under Hansi Flick to help them win the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana and La Liga.
Called “the best midfielder in the world” by Thiago Alcantara recently, Pedri has controlled numerous games and has missed just one in all competitions in 2024/25, contributing to 14 goals along the way. He also helped Spain reach the Nations League final.