Nowadays, the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era of dominating the Ballon d’Or ceremonies is officially over. Rodri, the lynchpin of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, held football’s most prestigious individual trophy aloft in 2024 and Ousmane Dembele, becoming the 47th different winner, won it this time around.
The Frenchman, spearheading Paris Saint-Germain’s trophy-winning campaign in 2024/25, was glittering from start to finish – but there are questions over the validity of the ceremony and whether it really represents what it should be all about: crowning the greatest talent in world football.
Dembele may have won; Lamine Yamal and Raphinha came second and third and Michael Olise placed last in the 30-man list. Here at GIVEMESPORT, in an attempt to make a true list of where each player should’ve placed at this year’s ceremony, we have amalgamated a ranking of the 30 nominees.
30-26

Denzel Dumfries, despite all his good work en route to the Allianz Arena-based Champions League final, was on the receiving end of a chastening 5-1 loss to PSG at the final stage. His Inter Milan side, then managed by Simone Inzaghi, also missed out on the Serie A title, having been pipped by Napoli.
Borussia Dortmund’s goal machine Serhou Guirassy scored ample goals, of course, but his silverware haul – or evident lack thereof – means that a 29th-placed finish would’ve sufficed. The same can be said for Florian Wirtz, who only won the German Super Cup in 2024/25 before his move to Liverpool.
Fabian Ruiz and Jude Bellingham, two midfielders, should’ve finished in 27th and 26th, respectively. The former was critical in his side’s route to their first-ever Champions League success, but he was overshadowed by his midfield partners; the latter endured an off-season which resulted in zero trophies.
How the Ballon d’Or Should’ve Been Ranked – 30-26
Rank
Player
Team
Nationality
30.
Denzel Dumfries
Inter Milan
Netherlands
29.
Serhou Guirassy
Borussia Dortmund
Guinea
28.
Florian Wirtz
Bayer Leverkusen/Liverpool
Germany
27.
Fabian Ruiz
Paris Saint-Germain
Spain
26.
Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid
England
25-21

Wherever Viktor Gyokeres has played his football, goals have followed the Swedish sharpshooter. Now at Arsenal, he netted 54 goals in 52 outings – but all in all, he didn’t set European football alight. Someone who shone across all facets, if you disregard goal contributions, was Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool.
Robert Lewandowski, throughout his career, has aged like a fine wine. The Polish line-leader, now 37 years of age and under Hansi Flick’s guidance at Barcelona, scored 42 goals in all competitions throughout his side’s domestic treble – but the seasoned frontman was often obscured by his attacking teammates.
Vinicius Jr, after coming so close to winning in 2024, struggled to perform at the same rate this time around – and the out-of-sorts Real Madrid ace should’ve finished 22nd, one place behind Inter Milan hitman Lautaro Martinez, who scored 24 goals in all competitions last season. Nine of those came in the Champions League.
How the Ballon d’Or Should’ve Been Ranked – 25-21
Rank
Player
Team
Nationality
25.
Viktor Gyokeres
Sporting CP/Arsenal
Sweden
24.
Alexis Mac Allister
Liverpool
Argentina
23.
Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona
Poland
22.
Vinicius Jr
Real Madrid
Brazil
21.
Lautaro Martinez
Inter Milan
Argentina
20-16

The talismanic Erling Haaland, by his own standards, may have endured a poor goalscoring season in 2024/25 – but his tally remained in the upper echelons. The Norwegian, who has made winning silverware a hobby rather than a chore, went trophyless last season and that harmed his overall ranking on this list.
Nobody foresaw Scott McTominay being nominated for the Ballon d’Or upon his Manchester United exit in the summer of 2024 – but the Scotland midfielder became beloved by all in the third-largest city in Italy and was nothing short of imperative in Napoli’s Serie A-winning campaign in 2024/25.
Michael Olise was always destined for big things and his eyebrow-raising £50 million move to Bayern Munich has certainly paid off, as evidenced by his 22 goals and 24 assists last term. Declan Rice of Arsenal didn’t have the same influence moving forwards, but his all-action performance in the middle means that a 16th-placed finish would’ve made much more sense than being ranked 27th.
How the Ballon d’Or Should’ve Been Ranked – 20-16
Rank
Player
Team
Nationality
20.
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
Norway
19.
Scott McTominay
Napoli
Scotland
18.
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester City
Italy
17.
Michael Olise
Bayern Munich
France
16.
Declan Rice
Arsenal
England
15-11

A mainstay for both Liverpool and the Netherlands, Virgil van Dijk was instrumental in the former’s Premier League-winning campaign – and the Anfield faithful are understandably peeved at his 28th-placed finish in the actual rankings. For us, a 15th-placed finish seems much fairer given his all-round importance.
Joao Neves and Kvhicha Kvaratskhelia, both of whom ply their trade under Enrique at PSG, were all-crucial in their side’s run to the Champions League final, whereas Cole Palmer, widely regarded as one of the best English footballers right now, won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup with Chelsea.
The talent of Nuno Mendes has been evident for many years now – and, finally, the Portuguese is beginning to earn his rightful plaudits. Over the past year, he’s won the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions and the Nations League – but he doesn’t crack the top ten for us.
How the Ballon d’Or Should’ve Been Ranked – 15-11
Rank
Player
Team
Nationality
15.
Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool
Netherlands
14.
Joao Neves
Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal
13.
Kvicha Kvaratskhelia
Paris Saint-Germain
Georgia
12.
Cole Palmer
Chelsea
England
11.
Nuno Mendes
Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal
10-6

It’s tricky to stand out from the crowd in the French capital, 20-year-old Desire Doue still threw up plenty of memorable moments in the last year or so – and that was enough to see him crack into our top ten. In the real rankings, the glittering Frenchman – whose surname means ‘gifted’ in English – finished 14th.
Doue’s teammate, Achraf Hakimi, was key – both offensively and defensively – to Luis Enrique and Co in their Champions League-winning campaign and, thus, should’ve finished a place higher. Harry Kane, a cultured finisher for Bayern Munich and England, should’ve finished eighth thanks to his all-round game.

That’s just one place behind his Real Madrid counterpart Kylian Mbappe, who is widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world. The beating heart of Hansi Flick’s Barcelona side, midfielder Pedri – who finished 11th in the real 30-strong list – made a compelling case for a much higher rank.
How the Ballon d’Or Should’ve Been Ranked – 10-6
Rank
Player
Team
Nationality
10.
Desire Doue
Paris Saint-Germain
France
9.
Achraf Hakimi
Paris Saint-Germain
Morocco
8.
Harry Kane
Bayern Munich
England
7.
Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid
France
6.
Pedri
Barcelona
Spain
5-1

Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha continues to go under the radar and earned himself a bronze medal in the true rankings – but is that a bit too high? No doubt immensely talented, but the respective goal tallies of Barcelona’s Raphinha and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool means that both should’ve finished higher.
Eventual winner Ousmane Dembele – labelled a flop following his torrid stint in Spain – came into his own following Kylian Mbappe’s departure from PSG. But is he, truly, the best footballer in the world? The answer to that question, which should be the biggest indicator regarding the Ballon d’Or, is concrete.
Lamine Yamal, who has left plenty of Barcelona and Spain records in ruins at his feet, would have been the most fitting winner of the trophy. That’s because, from a footballing sense, he is the crème de la crème of footballers – simply, there isn’t anybody better than the world-beating teenage sensation.
How the Ballon d’Or Should’ve Been Ranked – 5-1
Rank
Player
Team
Nationality
5.
Vitinha
Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal
4.
Raphinha
Barcelona
Brazil
3.
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
Egypt
2.
Ousmane Dembele
Paris Saint-Germain
France
1.
Lamin
