It finally happened. After years of being the "what if" guy, Ousmane Dembélé climbed the stage in Paris to lift the golden ball. Honestly, if you’d told a Chelsea or Barcelona fan three years ago that Dembélé would be the 2025 winner, they probably would have laughed you out of the room. But football is weird like that.
The Ballon d'Or 2025 rankings have officially settled, and the list is—to put it mildly—a bit of a shocker for anyone still clinging to the old guard. We are well and truly in the post-Messi and Ronaldo era. Seeing the final standings feels like looking at a completely different sport than the one we watched in 2020.
The Night PSG Ruled Paris
It wasn't just a win for Dembélé; it was a total takeover by Paris Saint-Germain. When the dust settled at the Théâtre du Châtelet on September 22, 2025, the French giants had five players in the top ten. Five.
Luis Enrique has basically turned that team into a winning machine, and the voters noticed. Dembélé secured the top spot after a season where he bagged 37 goals and 15 assists. He wasn't just fast; he was clinical. He led PSG to their first-ever Champions League title, and in this award's logic, that’s usually the "golden ticket."
The Top 10 Breakdown
- Ousmane Dembélé (PSG/France)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
- Vitinha (PSG/Portugal)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/Egypt)
- Raphinha (Barcelona/Brazil)
- Achraf Hakimi (PSG/Morocco)
- Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid/France)
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea/England)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy - now Man City)
- Nuno Mendes (PSG/Portugal)
Why Lamine Yamal Almost Made History
At 18, Lamine Yamal came agonizingly close to being the youngest winner ever. He finished second. He’s already got two Kopa Trophies on his mantle, which is just absurd. Most kids his age are still figuring out their college majors, and he's out here finishing on the Ballon d'Or podium.
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The debate in the room was loud. Many felt Yamal’s influence on the game was deeper than Dembélé’s, but trophies talk. Dembélé had the Champions League. Yamal had the magic, but Barcelona fell just short in the big European moments. Still, seeing a teenager at number two tells you everything you need to know about where the sport is heading.
The Premier League Snub?
If you're a Liverpool fan, you're probably fuming about Mohamed Salah finishing fourth. He led Europe’s top five leagues in total goal contributions. He was arguably the most consistent player on the planet. But the "Champions League tax" is real. Without that big trophy, the voters usually look elsewhere.
Then there’s Cole Palmer. Eighth place. For a guy playing in a Chelsea side that has been, let’s be honest, "transitioning" for what feels like a decade, it’s a massive achievement. He grabbed the Europa Conference League and the FIFA Club World Club, which gave him the hardware to back up the stats.
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The Fall of the Galacticos
This is where the Ballon d'Or 2025 rankings get really spicy. Kylian Mbappé at seventh is a headline in itself. Since moving to Real Madrid, the expectations have been through the roof, but a seventh-place finish feels like a step back for a guy who wants to be the undisputed number one.
Even crazier? Vinícius Júnior tumbled all the way down to 16th. Jude Bellingham? 23rd. The Real Madrid "PR machine" usually carries players higher, but a lack of deep Champions League runs this past season left them exposed. It turns out you can't just rely on the badge anymore; you need the numbers and the big nights.
The "Under the Radar" Heroes
We have to talk about Vitinha. Finishing third is a huge nod to the "tempo-setters." Often, these awards go to the guys who score the goals, but Vitinha was the heartbeat of that PSG treble. He’s the reason Dembélé had the space to run.
Viktor Gyökeres also deserves a shout. He took home the Gerd Müller Trophy after a 54-goal season. He finished 15th overall, which feels low for someone who scored that many, but he spent the first half of the season in Portugal. The "league coefficient" bias is still very much alive.
The Women’s Game: A Three-Peat for the Ages
While the men’s side was full of surprises, the women’s rankings felt like a coronation. Aitana Bonmatí won her third consecutive Ballon d’Or. She joins the ranks of Messi and Platini as the only players to hit a three-peat.
Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo followed in second and third. It was a massive night for Arsenal fans, especially with the club being named Women’s Club of the Year after their Champions League triumph.
What This Means for 2026
We are already looking at the 2026 race, and the 2025 results have set a weird precedent. Erling Haaland finished 26th in the 2025 rankings. Think about that. The most lethal striker in the world barely made the top 30 because Norway missed out on major tournaments and City had a "down" year by their standards.
The 2026 World Cup is going to decide everything. If Messi has one last dance with Argentina, he’ll be back in the top ten. If Yamal leads Spain to a trophy, he’s the favorite. The era of the "system player" is here, and the individual stars have to adapt or keep sliding down the list.
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Actionable Takeaways for Fans
- Stop ignoring the French League: PSG's dominance in the 2025 rankings proves that Ligue 1 isn't just a "farmer's league" in the eyes of the 100 journalists who vote.
- Trophies > Stats: If you want to predict the 2026 winner, look at who wins the Champions League and the World Cup. Individual brilliance without a trophy is a one-way ticket to 4th place (just ask Mo Salah).
- Watch the Midfielders: The rise of Vitinha and Rodri (in 2024) shows that the "invisible" work is finally being rewarded.
The Ballon d'Or 2025 rankings showed us that the old hierarchies are dead. Dembélé is king, the teenagers are coming for the throne, and the Premier League isn't the center of the universe. It’s a brave new world for football.
Track the 2026 Power Rankings closely as we head into the World Cup summer, because the current standings are likely to be flipped upside down by July.