The full shortlist for the 2025 Ballon d’Or has been unveiled, and every name on it has a case backed by big moments and strong numbers. Ahead of the award ceremony on Monday, here’s a look at the standout stats that defined each of the 30 nominees.
Jude Bellingham
The Real Madrid midfielder chipped in with 15 goals and 14 assists across competitions between August 2024 and July 2025. He was one of only six La Liga players to hit double digits in both categories and created 97 chances from open play, third-most in the league.
Ousmane Dembélé
For PSG, Dembélé was unplayable at times: 49 goal involvements in 53 matches, including 14 in the Champions League run that ended with the club lifting the trophy for the first time.
Gianluigi Donnarumma
The PSG keeper closed out 34% of his matches with a clean sheet and stopped 71% of shots faced during a season where his side won both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
Désiré Doué
At just 20, Doué was involved in 30 goals (16 scored, 14 assisted) last season. Among under-21 players in Europe, only Lamine Yamal had a hand in more.
Denzel Dumfries
No defender across Europe’s top five leagues scored more goals than Inter’s Dumfries (11). His five direct goal contributions in the UCL semi-final against Barcelona made history.
Serhou Guirassy
Borussia Dortmund’s striker fired 13 goals in 14 Champions League appearances, finishing as joint top scorer. His 32% conversion rate set a new club record for goals in a single UCL campaign.
Viktor Gyökeres
The Swedish forward netted 54 times in 52 matches for Sporting CP, including 39 in the Primeira Liga – the best return since Mário Jardel in 2001-02. His form earned him a switch to Arsenal.
Erling Haaland
Haaland once again topped the Premier League scoring charts with 34 goals in 48 appearances for Manchester City. His 119 minutes-per-goal was the best in England.
Achraf Hakimi
With 108 open-play chances created, Hakimi led all defenders across Europe. Only Raphinha created more in the entire continent.
Harry Kane
Kane’s 26 league goals delivered Bayern Munich their Bundesliga crown, earning him a second straight Golden Boot in Germany and his first career league title.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
No other nominee won two domestic titles last season. Kvaratskhelia lifted Serie A with Napoli and Ligue 1 with PSG, adding the Champions League for good measure.
Robert Lewandowski
At 36, Lewandowski still delivered 24 non-penalty goals – tied with Mbappé for most in Europe’s big five leagues. He also averaged a goal every 93.5 minutes in La Liga.
Alexis Mac Allister
Liverpool’s midfield engine started 13 sequences that led directly to goals in the Premier League – six more than anyone else.
Lautaro Martínez
Inter’s talisman struck nine times in the Champions League, equalling Hernán Crespo’s club record for a single campaign.
Kylian Mbappé
In his debut Real Madrid season, Mbappé silenced doubts by netting 31 league goals – the highest across Europe – while tying Lewandowski for non-penalty goals.
Scott McTominay
Napoli’s surprise star finished as Serie A’s top-scoring midfielder with 12 goals. He broke goalless draws on eight different occasions.
Nuno Mendes
The PSG left-back excelled defensively in Europe, winning more duels (119) than any other player in the Champions League.
João Neves
Another PSG youngster, Neves topped the UCL for tackles (57) while adding eight Ligue 1 assists.
Michael Olise
After leaving Crystal Palace for Bayern, Olise ranked first in Europe’s top five leagues for big chances created, while his 15 assists trailed only one player.
Cole Palmer
Chelsea’s “Cold Palmer” shone brightest on big nights: two assists in the Conference League final and two goals plus an assist in the Club World Cup final.
Pedri
The Barcelona playmaker delivered more pressured line-breaking passes in the Champions League (11) than anyone else. Across Europe, he led in “pre-assists” with 58.
Raphinha
With 56 goal involvements (34 goals, 22 assists), only Mohamed Salah bettered him across Europe. He equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League record for most goal involvements in a single season (21).
Declan Rice
Arsenal’s captain recorded personal bests for goals (9), assists (10) and chances created (82). His two free-kick strikes against Real Madrid in the UCL quarter-finals made history.
Fabián Ruiz
PSG’s midfield anchor boasted a 90.3% pass completion rate over 4,000 minutes, and popped up with vital goals in both the Champions League and Club World Cup semi-finals.
Mohamed Salah
Salah set a new Premier League record for goal involvements in a 38-game season (47), surpassing Henry and Haaland.
Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool’s leader made 403 line-breaking passes in the Premier League, more than all but two players.
Vinícius Jr.
The Real Madrid winger was Europe’s best ball-carrier, turning 20 carries directly into goals or assists and creating 55 chances after carries.
Vitinha
No one in the UCL played more line-breaking passes under immediate pressure (137). He also produced four passes that led directly to goals within 10 seconds.
Florian Wirtz
Wirtz was one of only six players to hit double figures for both goals (10) and assists (12) in Europe’s top leagues, ranking third for open-play assists.
Lamine Yamal
Still only 18, Yamal dominated dribbling stats with 161 successful take-ons – 54 more than the next player. He also led Europe for carries ending in shots (56).
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