D -day! The wait is coming to an end. This Thursday, France Football Finally, will lift the veil on the list of 30 players named for the Ballon d'Or 2025. The ceremony, scheduled for September 22 at the Châtelet Theater in Paris, is already exploding as the past season was rich in performance and controversy. And as often, debates promise to be intense.
This 2025 edition arrives in a climate still charged by the controversy of last year. The coronation of Rodri, however brilliant with Manchester City, had divided the world of football. Some regret a victory deemed too “collective” in the face of a vinicius, more decisive on an individual level. This year again, two names crystallize the discussions: Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal.
Dembélé vs Yamal, shock of generations
The first, author of an exceptional season with Paris Saint-Germain. The Frenchman, one of the big favorites, won a major hat -trick with PSG (Ligue 1, French Cup and Champions League), scoring 35 goals and delivering 16 assists in 53 games. He also reached the final of the Club World Cup.
Faced with him, the prodigy of Barça, Lamine Yamal, was not outdone. With 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 games, the 18-year-old Spaniard impressed with his regularity and his composure. In club, he won the Liga and the King's Cup. With La Roja, he shone in the League of Nations, especially during the semi-final won against France (5-4), where he scored a double. Only downside: some recent extra-sport cases could tarnish its image at the time of the vote.
A discreet change
To decide between, France Football discreetly revised its evaluation criteria this year. From now on, a larger place is granted to the collective influence of the player, to its ability to improve the team, beyond statistics. A subtle turn, but potentially decisive in the final classification. Leadership, game intelligence and the impact in great moments will now be as scrutinized as goals and trophies.
The regulations remain unchanged: individual performance, collective trophies, then class and fair play constitute the three evaluation pillars. Expulsion or displaced behavior can always be expensive. In 2000, Zinedine Zidane, however sparkling at the Euro, had been preceded for an expulsion in the Champions League a few weeks earlier.
Official criteria:
- Individual performance
- Collective charts
- Class and fair play
Dense competition on the PSG side
In view of these criteria, several other contenders are expected in the list. On the Parisian side, Vitinha, Donnarumma, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, Désiré Doué or Achraf Hakimi are expected. For the latter, the correctional trial recently requested following a rape accusation should not influence the vote, it having been closed before the requisition of the prosecution. At Barça, Pedri and Raphinha also hope to be a trip.
The final hierarchy will be defined by 100 journalists representing the 100 First Nations in the FIFA ranking. Each will establish a top 10, with a grid of points ranging from 15 to 1.. The impact, regularity and consistency will therefore be as decisive as peaks of performance. Verdict in a few hours.
Detail of points by place in the ranking:
- 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
The complete advertisement program
Unlike previous years, the list of nominees for the 69th edition of the Ballon d'Or will not be broadcast live on the channel The team. All announcements will be exclusively on the Sports Daily website, from midday. The candidates for the Kopa Female trophy will be revealed at 12:45 pm, then the other awards will be revealed by fifteen -minute slices, to the female gold balls at 3:15 p.m. and male around 3.30 p.m.
Here is the official planning of revelations this Thursday:
- 12:45 pm: 5 Named for the female Kopa trophy
- 1:00 p.m.: 10 Nomed for the male kopa trophy
- 1:15 p.m.: 5 Named for the female yachine trophy
- 1:30 p.m.: 10 nominees for the male yachine trophy
- 1:45 p.m.: 5 Named for the CRUYFF TROPHE (best coach of a female team)
- 2:00 p.m.: 5 Nomed for the CRUYFF TROPHE (Best coach of a male team)
- 2:15 p.m.: Revelation of the 5 best female clubs of the season
- 2:30 p.m.: Revelation of the 5 best male clubs of the season
- 3:15 p.m.: 30 Named for the female golden balloon
- 3.30pm: 30 nominees for the male Ballon d'Or
