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How Does Ballon d'Or Voting Work? Nominees and Format Explained
The Ballon d’Or, soccer’s most prestigious individual prize, underwent a historic change in 2022 when France Football announced the award would no longer be based on a player’s performances across the calendar year.
Instead, the award is now judged on a player’s impact over the course of a single season—a logical switch that has simplified comparisons and made the process feel more relevant.
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Since the change, Karim Benzema, Lionel Messi and Rodri have each lifted the trophy. But with none of them in contention this year, and no other former winners nominated either, the Ballon d’Or will be handed to a new name in 2025.
Meanwhile, the Ballon d’Or Féminin—introduced in 2018 and awarded to the best women’s player in the world—follows the same format, though unlike the men’s award, there is the possibility of yet another repeat winner when the trophies are handed out at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on September 22.
Here are the nominees for both awards and how the voting process works.
2025 Ballon d'Or Nominees
As always, 30 players have been shortlisted for the 2025 Ballon d’Or. While the award is open to players from around the globe, every nominee this year currently plies their trade in one of Europe’s top five leagues: the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, or the Bundesliga.
Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain dominate the list of favourites. For Barça, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha dazzled on the flanks during last season’s domestic treble, while Pedri pulled the string from midfield.
Over in Paris, PSG’s attack stole the spotlight. Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia—who split his season between Napoli and the French champions—were central to the club’s first-ever Champions League triumph, which capped off a historic quadruple. In total, no fewer than nine PSG players make the cut, with Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz and Gianluigi Donnarumma also nominated.
Real Madrid are also well represented. Kylian Mbappé enjoyed a record-breaking debut season in La Liga but is an outsider to win the 2025 award, while Vinícius Júnior endured a down year after he was expected to win last year. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is pushing for a podium finish, having inspired the Reds to their second Premier League title with a hugely productive season.
Full List of 2025 Ballon d'Or Nominees
Club(s) | Player | Nationality | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal | Declan Rice | England | Midfielder |
Barcelona | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | Forward |
Barcelona | Pedri | Spain | Midfielder |
Barcelona | Raphinha | Brazil | Forward |
Barcelona | Lamine Yamal | Spain | Forward |
Bayer Leverkusen (now Liverpool) | Florian Wirtz | Germany | Midfielder |
Bayern Munich | Harry Kane | England | Forward |
Bayern Munich | Michael Olise | France | Forward |
Borussia Dortmund | Serhou Guirassy | Guinea | Forward |
Chelsea | Cole Palmer | England | Midfielder |
Inter Milan | Denzel Dumfries | Netherlands | Defender |
Inter Milan | Lautaro Martinez | Argentina | Forward |
Liverpool | Alexis Mac Allister | Argentina | Midfielder |
Liverpool | Mohamed Salah | Egypt | Forward |
Liverpool | Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | Defender |
Manchester City | Erling Haaland | Norway | Forward |
Napoli/Manchester United | Scott McTominay | Scotland | Midfielder |
PSG | Ousmane Dembélé | France | Forward |
PSG (now Manchester City) | Gianluigi Donnarumma | Italy | Goalkeeper |
PSG | Désiré Doué | France | Forward |
PSG | Achraf Hakimi | Morocco | Defender |
PSG/Napoli | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Georgia | Forward |
PSG | Nuno Mendes | Portugal | Defender |
PSG | João Neves | Portugal | Midfielder |
PSG | Fabián Ruiz | Spain | Midfielder |
PSG | Vitinha | Portugal | Midfielder |
Real Madrid | Jude Bellingham | England | Midfielder |
Real Madrid | Kylian Mbappe | France | Forward |
Real Madrid | Vinicius Jr. | Brazil | Forward |
Sporting CP (now Arsenal) | Viktor Gyökeres | Sweden | Forward |
2025 Ballon d'Or Féminin Nominees
As with the men’s award, 30 players have been shortlisted for the 2025 Ballon d’Or Féminin.
The nominees are dominated by stars from Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona—three of the women’s game’s modern powerhouses.
Arsenal, fresh off their UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph, lead the way with seven players on the list, including England internationals Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly and Leah Williamson. Chelsea, who secured a historic domestic treble, follow with four representatives.
Barcelona boast six nominees, continuing their remarkable streak of influence on the award. Their squad has produced the last four winners, with Aitana Bonmatí (2023 and 2024) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and 2022) both included again this year.
Unlike the men’s Ballon d’Or, the women’s shortlist also features players based outside Europe. Palmeiras striker Amanda Gutiérrez represents Brazil, while four players from the United States’ NWSL round out the 30 names.
Full List of 2025 Ballon d'Or Féminin Nominees
Club(s) | Player | Nationality | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal | Mariona Caldentey | Spain | Forward |
Arsenal | Steph Catley | Australia | Defender |
Arsenal | Emily Fox | USA | Defender |
Arsenal/Manchester City | Chloe Kelly | England | Forward |
Arsenal | Frida Maanum | Norway | Midfielder |
Arsenal | Alessia Russo | England | Forward |
Arsenal | Leah Williamson | England | Defender |
Barcelona | Aitana Bonmatí | Spain | Midfielder |
Barcelona | Caroline Graham Hansen | Norway | Forward |
Barcelona | Patricia Guijarro | Spain | Midfielder |
Barcelona | Ewa Pajor | Poland | Forward |
Barcelona | Clàudia Pina | Spain | Forward |
Barcelona | Alexia Putellas | Spain | Midfielder |
Bayern Munich | Klara Bühl | Germany | Forward |
Bayern Munich | Pernille Harder | Poland | Forward |
Chelsea | Sandy Baltimore | France | Forward |
Chelsea | Lucy Bronze | England | Defender |
Chelsea | Hannah Hampton | England | Goalkeeper |
Chelsea | Johanna Rytting Kaneryd | Sweden | Midfielder |
Gotham FC | Esther González | Spain | Forward |
Juventus | Sofia Cantore | Italy | Forward |
Juventus | Cristiana Girelli | Italy | Forward |
Kansas City Current | Temwa Chawinga | Malawi | Forward |
Lyon | Melchie Dumornay | Haiti | Midfielder |
Lyon | Lindsey Heaps | USA | Forward |
Orlando Pride | Barbra Banda | Zambia | Forward |
Orlando Pride | Marta | Brazil | Forward |
Palmeiras | Amanda Gutierres | Brazil | Forward |
Paris FC | Clara Mateo | France | Forward |
Real Madrid | Caroline Weir | Scotland | Midfielder |
2025 Ballon d'Or Voting Format
The Ballon d'Or victor is both decided by 100 journalists from FIFA's 100 top-ranked member nations. Each journalist makes their top 10 picks from each 30-person shortlist.
Each ranking is assigned a points value:
- 1st: 15 points
- 2nd: 12 points
- 3rd: 10 points
- 4th: 8 points
- 5th: 7 points
- 6th: 5 points
- 7th: 4 points
- 8th: 3 points
- 9th: 2 points
- 10th: 1 point
When the votes are tallied, the player with the most points is named that year’s Ballon d’Or winner.
Voting for the Ballon d’Or Féminin follows the same basic system as the men’s award, with a pre-selected shortlist and a jury of journalists. The key difference is scale: only 50 journalists from the top-ranked nations are invited to vote, compared to 100 for the men’s prize.
Who Won the 2024 Ballon d'Or?
The 2024 Ballon d’Or was claimed by Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, following a standout season for both club and country. He played a key role in City’s Premier League triumph and helped Spain lift Euro 2024.
Rodri edged out Real Madrid’s Vinícius Jr. in the voting, finishing with 1,170 points to the Brazilian’s 1,129.
However, Rodri’s victory was somewhat overshadowed by controversy. Vinícius and several members of the Madrid squad, reportedly learning before the awards that Rodri would win, chose to boycott the ceremony—a decision that drew widespread criticism and contrasted sharply with the sportsmanship Rodri displayed throughout the season. Madrid have supposedly not yet decided whether they’ll attend the 2025 ceremony.
The previous year, Lionel Messi had won his eighth Ballon d’Or after leading Argentina to glory at the 2022 World Cup. Because the tournament took place in Qatar in late December, it was counted as part of the 2022–23 season, making his performances eligible for consideration for that year’s award.
Recent Ballon d'Or Winners
Year | Winner | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
2024 | Rodri | Manchester City |
2023 | Lionel Messi (8) | PSG/Inter Miami |
2022 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid |
2021 | Lionel Messi (7) | Barcelona |
2020 | - | - |
2019 | Lionel Messi (6) | Barcelona |
2018 | Luka Modric | Real Madrid |
2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo (5) | Real Madrid |
2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo (4) | Real Madrid |
2015 | Lionel Messi (5) | Barcelona |
2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo (3) | Real Madrid |
Who Won the 2024 Ballon d'Or Féminin?
The 2024 Ballon d’Or Féminin was claimed by Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, marking her second consecutive win.
Bonmatí earned the award after a season in which she dominated both for club and country. She helped Barcelona secure Liga F, the Women’s Champions League, the Copa de la Reina, and the Supercopa de España Femenina, while also guiding Spain to victory in the 2023–24 UEFA Women’s Nations League.
The previous year, she had a similarly spectacular campaign, winning a European treble with Barcelona (missing out only the Copa de la Reina) and leading Spain to the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Where Bonmatí plays, trophies tend to follow.
Ballon d'Or Féminin Winners
Year | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
2024 | Aitana Bonmati (2) | Barcelona |
2023 | Aitana Bonmati | Barcelona |
2022 | Alexia Putellas (2) | Barcelona |
2021 | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona |
2020 | - | - |
2019 | Megan Rapinoe | Reign FC |
2018 | Ada Hegerberg | Lyon |
READ MORE ON THE RECENT HISTORY OF THE BALLON D’OR
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Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider. Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.