The race for the 2025 Ballon d’Or has boiled down to two Barcelona stars — Ousmane Dembélé and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal — after both enjoyed remarkable seasons that put them at the forefront of the Golden Ball conversation. With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s long era of dominance now firmly behind, this year’s award is shaping up as one of the most unpredictable in recent memory.
Reigning champion Rodri, who edged Vinícius Júnior in 2024, has been sidelined by a knee injury, leaving the field wide open. That void allowed others to shine across Europe and at the FIFA Club World Cup, where individual brilliance weighed heavily in voters’ minds. Both Dembélé and Yamal delivered standout campaigns, with Yamal in particular dazzling fans and pundits alike as he matured into one of football’s most electrifying young talents.
Unlike recent years dominated by World Cup or continental tournaments, the 2025 Ballon d’Or will be decided almost entirely on club form. That shift has fueled fierce debate over the final shortlist, but with Barcelona’s stars leading the conversation, the stage is set for a generational passing of the torch when the winner is announced at Paris’ Théâtre du Châtelet on Monday night.
