Who will win this year’s Ballon d'Or? Goal updated the list of favorites!

The race for football's most prestigious individual award, the Ballon d'Or, is entering its decisive phase. Goal has published an updated ranking of favorites for the 2025 award. Significant changes occurred after the Champions League semifinals, with a new leader emerging in the top five.

Currently, topping the list is France's PSG forward Ousmane Dembélé, who is having a phenomenal season. Previously ranked fifth, the forward rose to become the main favorite due to his impressive performances in the Champions League and a strong domestic season in France.

Second place belongs to Barcelona's sensational 17-year-old talent, Lamine Yamal. The young star is delivering remarkable performances this season, and many experts consider him a serious contender for this year's Ballon d'Or.

It's worth noting that Brazilian forward Raphinha, who was previously first in the rankings, dropped to third place. His ranking decline is linked to Barcelona’s Champions League semifinal defeat. Despite this, he remains one of Europe’s most productive players this season.

The top five is completed by Inter Milan's Argentinian striker Lautaro Martinez and Liverpool’s leading star Mohamed Salah.

Goal's top 20 contenders for the 2025 Ballon d'Or are as follows:

1. Ousmane Dembele - Paris Saint-Germain (France) - Forward
2. Lamine Yamal - Barcelona (Spain) - Forward
3. Rafinha - Barcelona (Brazil) - Forward
4. Lautaro Martinez - Inter (Argentina) - Forward
5. Mohamed Salah - Liverpool (Egypt) - Forward
6. Kylian Mbappe - Real Madrid (France) - Forward
7. Pedri - Barcelona (Spain) - Midfielder
8. Gianluigi Donnarumma - Paris Saint-Germain (Italy) - Goalkeeper
9. Harry Kane - Bayern Munich (England) - Forward
10. Robert Lewandowski - Barcelona (Poland) – Striker
11. Vinicius Junior - "Real Madrid" (Brazil) - Striker
12. Vitinha - "Paris Saint-Germain" (Portugal) - Midfielder
13. Alessandro Bastoni - "Inter" (Italy) - Defender
14. Nicolo Barella - "Inter" (Italy) - Midfielder
15. Marcus Thuram - "Inter" (France) - Striker
16. Bukayo Saka - "Arsenal" (England) - Striker
17. Declan Rice - "Arsenal" (England) - Midfielder
18. Jude Bellingham - "Real Madrid" (England) - Midfielder
19. Jamal Musiala - "Bayern" (Germany) - Midfielder
20. Virgil van Dijk - "Liverpool" (Netherlands) - Defender

So football fans can once again witness a heated debate to determine the best player in European football. Although young stars are showing excellent results this year, it is noted that Ousmane Dembele's position is very strong.

Zamin.uz editorial team is closely following the fate of the most prestigious individual award in world football, the "Golden Ball". Who do you think will win this year's award?

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