The Ballon d’Or is not just an individual recognition, but a confirmation of top status in the world of football, it is a trophy that defines the career of many and definitely leaves a mark in history. The Ballon d’Or award ceremony for 2025 is being held tonight in Paris, starting at 8 p.m., and the name of the new winner is known to only one person.
Under rules introduced after last year’s award, the winner will not be notified in advance of the outcome of the vote. The only person who knows who will receive the prestigious award is the editor-in-chief of France Football, Vincent Garcia, who confirmed it himself.
Let us remind you that last year’s Ballon d’Or winner was Manchester City and Spanish national team midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez.
There are a total of 30 names on the list of candidates for the Ballon d’Or: Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Désiré Doué (PSG), Denzel Dumfries (Inter), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Harry Kane (Bayern), Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Khvicha Kvaratchelia (PSG), Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona), Robert Lewandowski (FC Barcelona), Alexis MacAllister (Liverpool), Lautaro Martínez (Inter), Scott McTominay (Naples), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Joao Neves (PSG), Pedri (FC Barcelona), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Michael Olise (Bayern), Raphinha (FC Barcelona), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Fabian Ruiz (PSG), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) and Vitinha (PSG). attract the two main contenders for the prestigious honor — Ousmane PSG’s Dembélé and Barcelona’s young talent, Lamine Yamal.
Although opinions are divided, before tonight’s ceremony the French national team member Dembélé, who won the triple crown with Paris Saint-Germain last season, has a slight advantage. However, many believe that Yamal, thanks to his great performances for Barcelona and the Spanish national team, could surprise and win the award tonight.
The youngest winner of the Ballon d’Or is the legendary Ronaldo Nazário, who won the trophy in 1997 at only 21 years, 3 months and 5 days, and Jamal could break that record this year.
Unlike previous years, the decision is not based on the calendar year but on performance throughout the season. Although collective successes and trophies are not overlooked, emphasis is still placed on individual performances, sportsmanship, talent and overall contribution of players on the field.
The Ballon d’Or, a prestigious award that has been awarded since 1956, will get a new owner this year at a ceremony at the Châtelet theater in Paris. The event will be hosted by the legendary Ronaldinho, who will also have the honor of presenting the trophy to the world’s best player.
In addition to the Ballon d’Or, awards will also be presented tonight for the best goalkeeper, top scorer and best young player of the year.
This year’s awards also apply certain rules when it comes to the voting body. Although the voters are still exclusively journalists, their number has been significantly reduced. For the men’s Ballon d’Or, 100 journalists have the right to vote, one from each of the 100 best-ranked countries on FIFA’s list (compared to 170 in previous years). In the women’s competition, 50 journalists from the countries that are among the 50 best-ranked countries on FIFA’s list vote according to the same model.
The record holder for the number of Golden Balls won is Lionel Messi, who has lifted the trophy as many as eight times, while Cristiano Ronaldo has five titles behind him.
