This is the 69th time the award has been presented by France Football magazine, honoring outstanding individuals, as well as teams, coaches, and social contributions during the 2024-2025 season.

In addition to the men's and women's Ballon d'Or, the gala also features other categories such as the best goalkeeper (Yashin Trophy), best young player (Kopa Trophy), top scorer (Gerd Muller Trophy), best coach (Johan Cruyff Trophy), best club, and the Socrates Award for social contributions.

This year, three new categories have been added for women's football, including the Yashin, Gerd Muller, and Kopa trophies.

The Ballon d'Or is considered the most prestigious individual award in football. Photo: Reuters

The Ballon d'Or is considered the most prestigious individual award in football. Photo: Reuters

The shortlist for the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or includes 30 players, notably Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Vitinha. Reigning Champions League winners PSG contributed the most with 9 representatives, a record for the award.

The Ballon d'Or is selected based on three criteria: individual performance, team achievements, and fair play. The voting panel consists of 100 journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries (men) and 50 journalists from the top 50 countries (women). Each journalist selects 10 players, scoring them from 15 down to 1. The player with the highest total score wins.

According to Opta, Dembele is the frontrunner for the men's award. The 28-year-old French star played a major role in PSG's treble-winning season, securing Ligue 1, the French Cup, and the Champions League.

He scored 33 goals and provided 13 assists across all competitions. In the Champions League alone, Dembele was involved in 14 goals (8 goals, 6 assists), the best record for a French player in the tournament. In the 5-0 final victory against Inter, he assisted two goals, becoming the first player since Marcelo in 2018 to achieve this feat.

Dembele's explosive form from January 2025 to the end of the season further solidified his standing. He scored 24 goals in the first 20 matches of the year. In total, he contributed to 46 goals in the 2024-2025 season, double his previous personal best.

Dembele celebrates PSG's second goal against Real in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA on 9/7/2025. Photo: Reuters

Dembele celebrates PSG's second goal against Real in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA on 9/7/2025. Photo: Reuters

Despite Dembele being highly regarded, several other stars also had impressive seasons. Salah led Europe in goal contributions (57), even though Liverpool were eliminated in the Champions League round of 16. Raphinha followed closely behind with 56, helping Barca win La Liga. 18-year-old talent Yamal made a significant impact with 39 goal contributions and 244 successful dribbles, the most in Europe's top five leagues.

Mbappe maintained his form with 43 goals for Real Madrid, the most in Europe. However, his club only won the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. The 26-year-old forward publicly supported his French teammate. "If I were chosen, I would bring the Ballon d'Or to Dembele's house," Mbappe said, adding that he would not attend the ceremony—a strong indication that he is unlikely to win.

Similar to the men's award, the women's Ballon d'Or shortlist also features 30 players, including last year's winner Aitana Bonmati, along with Alexia Putellas, Graham Hansen, and Lucy Bronze.

Nominees for the Kopa Trophy (men's young player) include young talents like Yamal, Joao Neves, Pau Cubarsi, Estevao, and Kenan Yildiz. The women's shortlist includes Linda Caicedo, Vicky Lopez, and Michelle Agyemang.

The men's Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers features 10 nominees, including Thibaut Courtois, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alisson Becker, and Emiliano Martinez. The women's nominees include Ann-Katrin Berger, Cata Coll, and Hannah Hampton.

Nominees for the men's Johan Cruyff award include Luis Enrique (PSG), Antonio Conte (Napoli), Hansi Flick (Barca), Enzo Maresca (Chelsea), and Arne Slot (Liverpool). The women's nominees are Sonia Bompastor (Chelsea), Sarina Wiegman (England national team), and Renee Slegers (Arsenal).

The best men's clubs of the year include Barca, PSG, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Botafogo. The women's nominees are Barca, Chelsea, Arsenal, Lyon, and Orlando Pride.

The ceremony will be broadcast live globally. The men's and women's winners will each receive an official Ballon d'Or trophy, specifically crafted for each category.

Last year, Rodri (Man City, Spain) and Aitana Bonmati (Barca, Spain) won the men's and women's awards, respectively.

The gala is expected to last over two hours and will be hosted by former Dutch midfielder Ruud Gullit and British journalist Kate Scott. Ronaldinho will present the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or, 20 years after he won the award, his only time. He played for both PSG and Barca, two clubs with strong contenders for this year's award.

Real Madrid will not send any representatives to the gala, as in the previous year. Barca will be represented by coach Hansi Flick, Yamal, and Pau Cubarsi, but midfielder Pedri Gonzalez will not attend.

Compiled by Xuan Binh