- \n
- Individual statistics (goals, assists, key performances)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Team trophies (league titles, Champions League, etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Impact in big matches and consistency
(ESPN.com<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nThe 2025 shortlist for men<\/strong> contains 30 names, including stars from PSG, Barcelona, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and others. (ESPN.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What have the frontrunners done. Here are some of the standout achievements this past season that are influencing the debate:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 (PSG \/ France)<\/strong>
Very strong case: he played a central role in PSG\u2019s treble-winning season, including the club\u2019s first Champions League title. He had a high goals + assists tally. (Wikipedia<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/dem.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- \n
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona \/ Spain)<\/strong>
Young, dynamic, and very influential. Big domestic success (La Liga, Copa del Rey) and impressive contributions in attack. He also has the \u201cyounger factor\u201d which tends to attract favourable attention if the performances are there. (Al Jazeera<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/yamal-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- \n
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool \/ Egypt)<\/strong>
Outstanding statistical season in the Premier League, strong goal involvement. Even though fewer big trophies compared to PSG\u2019s haul, his consistency and leadership matter. (Sky Sports<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/OIP-15.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOther names in the mix: Vitinha (PSG), Raphinha (Barcelona), Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, etc. But their cases seem slightly behind the top three at the moment. (Transfermarkt<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Top 3 Most Likely Candidates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Here are the three players I believe are most likely to win \u2014 listed in order, with the reasoning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rank<\/th> Player<\/th> Why they\u2019re a top contender<\/th> What could work against them<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 1. Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9<\/strong><\/td> He has the strongest all-round case: team success (PSG treble including Champions League), high-impact performances, and a narrative of resurgence. Judges often favour players who win big trophies plus excel individually. (Wikipedia<\/a>)<\/td> He has injured spells; also, sometimes voters prefer more \u201cglamorous\u201d names or younger rising stars. If there were any slip in key matches, that might cost him some margin. Also, overshadowed by standout moments by rivals could tilt votes.<\/td> <\/td><\/tr> 2. Lamine Yamal<\/strong><\/td> His youth + quality combo is very compelling. He has been instrumental for Barcelona in domestic competitions, often in big games. He carries a \u201cbreakthrough \/ rising star\u201d story, which tends to resonate. If close, he could edge it on flair, consistency and potential. (Al Jazeera<\/a>)<\/td> The downside is he hasn\u2019t won the Champions League (or as many \u201cbig spectacular moments\u201d) compared to Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 this season. Also, sometimes voters favour more mature, central\u2010impact players. Might be viewed as \u201calmost there but not quite on the biggest stage.\u201d<\/td> <\/td><\/tr> 3. Mohamed Salah<\/strong><\/td> Salah remains one of the most prolific forwards around. If you look at sheer numbers, leadership, consistency, and impact in the Premier League (which remains one of the most watched \/ valued leagues), he has a strong case. He might pick up points where others falter, or if people value his narrative or his amazing work rate. (Sky Sports<\/a>)<\/td> But his team didn\u2019t win the Champions League; also, sometimes newer younger narratives or \u201cteam victory\u201d weigh more heavily. In short, to win he might need to rely on overperformance or voters wanting to \u201creward\u201d his consistency rather than peak moments.<\/td> <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n My Prediction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If I had to pick one, I lean Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9<\/strong> will win the 2025 Ballon d\u2019Or. His combination of trophies plus<\/em> standout performances gives him the edge. If there\u2019s an upset, Lamine Yamal is the most likely one to pull it off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Ballon d\u2019Or remains one of the most prestigious individual awards in football, awarded by France Football. Nominees are judged over the previous season rather than a calendar year. Key criteria typically include: The 2025 shortlist for men contains 30 names, including stars from PSG, Barcelona, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and others. (ESPN.com) What have the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1749"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1755,"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749\/revisions\/1755"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniusnewton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool \/ Egypt)<\/strong>
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona \/ Spain)<\/strong>
- Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 (PSG \/ France)<\/strong>