2 weeks Ago By Vijievan Jeevathayalan
The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award on offer in football, and has been won by some of the greatest players of all-time , including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi . The 2025 award is set to be another hotly-anticipated one, with several world-class players in the running to claim it. Last year, it was Manchester City midfielder Rodri who overcame Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr to the award, but neither of them are among the frontrunners for it this time around.
As the 2024/2025 season nears the end, and with the FIFA Club World Cup coming soon after this summer, attentions will quickly turn towards the Ballon d'Or award. But when does it take place, how does the voting process work and who are the current favourites to walk away as the winner? Find out everything you need to know about the 2025 Ballon d'Or award below. When is the Ballon d'Or Awarded by the French magazine France Football, the Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in football.
Last year, it was Spain international Rodri who surprised the world by pipping Vinicius Jr to the award after an incredible title-winning season with Manchester City was capped off with winning the European Championships with La Roja. The 2025 Ballon d'Or will be the 69th in the history of the award, and will be hosted at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. This year's ceremony will be held on Monday 27th October, with the nominees being announced in early September in order for the voting process for the winner to kick-start.
Ballon d'Or Voting Process Given its prestige and honour, it's no surprise the Ballon d'Or voting process is a long and rigorous one designed to get a balanced view on who the best player in the world is. The voting is carried out by 100 journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries, with each reporter selecting who they believe the best player is. The journalists from French publications L'Equipe and France Football select 30 players nominated for the male Ballon d'Or award, and 20 players for the women's award.
Since 2022, the award has been handed out to the best player of the season rather than the whole calendar year. This was done after criticism of the old criteria and a want to better reflect a player's performances across a full season cycle. When it comes to the voting criteria, there are three important factors that journalists are asked to base their nominations on: Individual performance - goals, assists, clean sheets, matches played and their overall impact on the game Team performance - the player's success with their club and/or national team Public image - their conduct on and off the pitch, including fair play and any involvement in philanthropic work Current Favourites The 2024/2025 season has been an exciting one to say the least, with Liverpool dominating the Premier League under Arne Slot's leadership for the first time, Real Madrid and Barcelona battling it out for the La Liga title, and a Champions League tournament that has been thrilling from day one.
Indeed, the current favourites for the 2025 Ballon d'Or arguably come from the three aforementioned teams, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Lamine Yamal in particular impressing those watching. GIVEMESPORT's own Ballon d'Or power rankings has Madrid star Kylian Mbappe currently leading the race, although he is facing stiff competition from Barcelona's Raphinha and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. Given that both Madrid and Barcelona remain in the Champions League, some of the favourites for the Ballon d'Or in both sides will be hoping that an extended run in the competition and potentially winning it come the season end could do their chances of lifting the award in October the world of good.
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