Ballon d'Or Power Rankings

Following an era where the Ballon d'Or was predominantly claimed by footballing greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the race to be crowned the best player in the world remains arguably as open as we have ever seen it.

The awarding of the 2024 Ballon d'Or sparked major controversy, with Vinicius Jr emerging as the front runner for the majority of the season, only for Rodri to clinch the honour after an immense campaign for both club and country.

This time round, however, it'd be hard to make the case that any player in the run-in for the award would be underserving, but with a variety of club honours still to play for, the likelihood of our Power Ranking top five remaining in the same order is slim.

With that said, find out who makes our Ballon d'Or Power Rankings top five.

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5 - Ousmane Dembele

While Ousmane Dembele's placement in fifth may appear harsh at first glance, it's hard to imagine the Frenchman will succeed in his pursuit of the Ballon d'Or unless Paris Saint-Germain are to win their first ever UEFA Champions League trophy.

With that said, Luis Enrique's side seem well placed to win the competition, having already knocked out six-time winners Liverpool in the round of 16.

Dembele was influential in PSG's triumph in Merseyside, netting his side's only goal inside 120 minutes, and it's fair to say that his form since the turn of the year won't have gone unnoticed as he eyes up the chance of becoming the sixth French international to claim the trophy.

No player amongst Europe's top five leagues has scored more goals than Dembele in 2025, while no player in Ligue 1 has provided more goal involvements in the 2024/25 campaign.

4 - Mohamed Salah

Having topped the Ballon d'Or betting odds for a sizeable proportion of the season, Mohamed Salah's chance of winning the honour seemed to have plummeted since Liverpool exited the UEFA Champions League.

He has, however, spearheaded the Reds' hunt for their inevitable 20th league title, seemingly breaking records on a weekly basis.

He is well on track to reach 60+ goal involvements in all competitions, putting up numbers that would be considered remarkable even by the staggering standards of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

We are yet to see how Liverpool's elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition may influence the Egyptian King's Ballon d'Or charge, but one thing we do know is that it won't play to his advantage.

3 - Lamine Yamal

There is every chance that Lamine Yamal could win the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Nations League for both club and country this campaign, and, if so, what stops the Catalan from becoming the youngest ever player to win the Ballon d'Or later this year?

No player has recorded more assists than Yamal in La Liga this campaign, and he appears to be impressing on every stage he appears on, whether that be domestically or in Europe.

It seems almost impossible not to compare Yamal to former Barcelona icon Lionel Messi, sharing uncanny similarities, epitomising natural talent and raw ability.

Should Barca's sensation keep up his fine form as the club strive towards a treble, he could well top off a record breaking season by claiming the ultimate individual honour.

2 - Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe made a mockery of Ligue 1 for the best part of six years for Paris Saint-Germain, but his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or whilst playing for the Parisians seemed limited.

The Frenchman's move to Real Madrid was almost inevitable, and it feels as if the Ballon d'Or is in reach for Mbappe if Los Blancos are to clinch a 16th UEFA Champions League this term.

While Mbappe may have produced better numbers in seasons gone by, can the exposure of playing for Europe's biggest club bring Real Madrid's number nine close to an award he has been so desperately seeking in recent years? It certainly seems possible.

1 - Raphinha

If I'd have said that Raphinha would one day not just be in contention, but favourite for the Ballon d'Or, very few people would have believed me. Nonetheless, we simply can't overlook the Brazilian's vast improvement in the 2024/25 campaign.

Raphinha had never exceeded more than seven goals in a La Liga season for Barcelona, nor had he registered more than nine assists. He has bettered both of those tallies this time round, whilst also topping the goalscorer standings in the UEFA Champions League.

The Brazilian appears to have a fire in his belly that we haven't seen before, so expect him to maintain a form that could see him become a Ballon d'Or winner in 2025.