The countdown to crown the world’s best player has officially begun, with France Football announcing the official Ballon d’Or 2025 rankings for places 30 through 11. Ahead of the reveal of the top ten, the initial results have already produced some major talking points and shocking outcomes for some of the biggest names in European football.
The announcement sets the stage for the final ceremony, where the winner will be unveiled, but the early rankings offer a clear insight into how the voters viewed the 2024-25 season.
The biggest shocks from the early rankings
The most significant surprise from the initial list is the remarkably low placement of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. Despite a prolific season on a personal level where he continued to break goalscoring records, the Norwegian finished in just 26th place. This result has stunned many in the football world and strongly suggests that voters heavily prioritized major team trophies, such as the Champions League and domestic league titles, over individual statistics.
Similarly, Real Madrid‘s stars paid the price for a trophyless season. Jude Bellingham, who finished on the podium in third last year, dropped to 23rd, while 2024 runner-up Vinicius Junior fell to 16th. In contrast, Premier League clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal had strong representation, reflecting their successful domestic and European campaigns.
The official list (30-11)
- Michael Olise (France, Bayern Munich)
- Florian Wirtz (Germany, Liverpool)
- Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands, Liverpool)
- Declan Rice (England, Arsenal)
- Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)
- Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands, Inter Milan)
- Fabián Ruiz (Spain, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina, Liverpool)
- Serhou Guirassy (Guinea, Borussia Dortmund)
- Lautaro Martínez (Argentina, Inter)
- João Neves (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Scott McTominay (Scotland, Napoli)
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Barcelona)
- Vinicius Junior (Brazil, Real Madrid)
- Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden, Arsenal)
- Désiré Doué (France, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Pedri (Spain, Barcelona)
These initial rankings have already sparked intense debate. They have set a dramatic stage for the final top ten reveal, with all eyes now on who will claim football’s most prestigious individual prize.