As the Ballon d’Or ceremony gets closer and closer each day, the entire soccer world seems to be asking the same question; who is the best player in the world? Currently, there are mixed opinions among soccer fans, but multiple power rankings have listed the same top 10 contenders. Let’s take a look at these players and see what made them Ballon d’Or nominees.
Ousmane Dembele is 1st, Lamine Yamal is 2nd, Raphinha is 3rd, Vitinha is 4th, Mohamed Salah is 5th, Desire Doue is 6th, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is 7th, Kylian Mbappe is 8th, Pedri is 9th, and Nuno Mendes is 10th.
The Ballon d’Or will be held at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France, on Monday, September 22, 2025, giving these players ample time to deliver star performances and move up in the rankings.
Barcelona contenders Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Pedri are in the Ballon d’Or power rankings because they had amazing individual seasons and won Barcelona a domestic treble. However, they could still be beaten by other contenders since they couldn’t secure Barcelona a continental treble by winning the UEFA Champions League.
PSG contenders Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Nuno Mendes are in the Ballon d’Or power rankings because they had amazing individual seasons and secured PSG a continental treble by winning the UEFA Champions League.
Due to their individual brilliance, Liverpool contender Mohamed Salah and Real Madrid contender Kylian Mbappe are in the Ballon d’Or power rankings, even though their clubs didn’t achieve the same level of success as Barcelona or PSG this season.
The FIFA Club World Cup could change the Ballon d’Or power rankings completely, even though not all Ballon d’Or contenders are participating in the tournament.
It started on June 14, 2025, and will end on July 13, 2025, before the Ballon d’Or ceremony. The Ballon d’Or contenders who are participating will definitely try their best, so the power rankings could change drastically. The Ballon d’Or race is on!