Ballon d’Or 2025: Haaland, Mbappe and the top candidates for next year’s award

Cameron Smith

• 28 Oct 2024 17:10 CDT
• 4 min read

The 2025 Ballon d’Or race promises to be a hotly contested one, with the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance now well and truly over.

The former is loving life at MLS side Inter Miami, while the latter continues to ply his trade at Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr.

They have a combined 13 Ballon d’Or wins between them, but neither will be lifting the illustrious trophy in 2025 after failing to even make the final shortlist in 2024.

READ MORE: Who will win Ballon d’Or 2025? Shortlist, favourites, latest odds, date and past winners

Instead, the candidates for glory are likely to come from the biggest clubs in European football, with several names in the running to win the award.

Below, FootballTransfers lists five of the most likely candidates to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

READ MORE: What are the most expensive transfers of all time? The 50 highest fees in history

Erling Haaland (Man City)

Erling Haaland has enjoyed his best ever start to a season at Manchester City, with the goal machine reaping the rewards of Norway’s failure to qualify for the 2024 European Championship.

He bagged 10 goals in the first five Premier League matches of the 2024-25 campaign and looks set to play a key role as Pep Guardiola’s side look to win a seventh English top flight title in just eight years.

As a result, Haaland is likely to be a prominent figure in the 2025 Ballon d’Or race.

Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

Vinicius Junior is one of the best players in world football and he is therefore expected to finish near the very top of the Ballon d’Or standings in 2025.

The Real Madrid superstar remains a vital figure for Los Blancos, despite the summer arrival of Kylian Mbappe, and given his excellence in big games, he could play a key role as Carlo Ancelotti’s team look to retain the Champions League.

Vinicius Jr is a phenomenal footballer and he is one of the favourites for Ballon d’Or success in 2025.

Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

Kylian Mbappe bid farewell to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, with the France international finally securing a dream move to Real Madrid on a free transfer.

He failed to score in each of his first three La Liga games, but Mbappe ended that drought by bagging six goals in his next five Los Blancos appearances.

The Frenchman will be directly compared to Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo this season, so his chances of Ballon d’Or glory may rely on how well he stacks up against his Real Madrid team-mates.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Mohamed Salah could leave Liverpool for Saudi Arabia in 2025, but the Egypt star remains a key player at Anfield and he has enjoyed a superb start to the new season.

He has arguably been outshone by Luis Diaz, however Salah’s track record suggests he will be able to sustain a season of top notch performances and that could be enough to win the Ballon d’Or for the first time in his career.

With six goals and five assists in nine games to start the 2024-25 campaign, Salah is on fire and his form could guide him towards Ballon d’Or success.

Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

Harry Kane is a slightly outside shout to win the Ballon d’Or, but there’s no doubting his talent, and his goalscoring prowess speaks for itself.

The England captain bagged 10 goals and four assists in Bayern Munich’s first five games of the season, and he looks set to enjoy another prolific campaign in Bavaria.

Therefore, Kane could become the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.

Honourable mentions

In addition to those five names, there are likely to be several other world-class stars who feature near the top of the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings.

2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri will miss the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign so he’s out of the running, but Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka may also be contenders to win the Ballon d’Or next year.

PSG winger Bradley Barcola could spring a surprise, while Jamal Musiala and 2024 Kopa Trophy winner Lamine Yamal are set to be candidates for victory too.