Ballon d'Or 2025 Nominees: Ousmane Dembélé Leads PSG Surge After Champions League Glory

PSG’s Dembélé Dominates the Ballon d'Or 2025 Conversation

Every August, the football world stops to argue over one thing: who deserves the Ballon d'Or? This year, after Paris Saint-Germain’s run to European glory, Ballon d'Or 2025 talk is all about Ousmane Dembélé. His numbers are wild—35 goals and 14 assists in 53 games. No one can ignore the way he tore up defenses, especially on Champions League nights. He isn’t the only PSG player in the mix, but he’s the one everyone is talking about as the favorite.

It’s not just his goals. Dembélé popped up in the big moments, never shrinking under the lights. His teammates Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué are getting recognition, too, but no one else in Paris comes close to matching his impact over the past season. PSG haven’t seen this kind of dominance from a single player since their marquee signings of the last decade—think Mbappé or Neymar in their best years. Now, Dembélé has the Ballon d'Or spotlight, and plenty think it’s his to lose.

Old Faces, New Threats, and the Debate Over Success

Of course, it isn’t just PSG on this 30-man shortlist. Raphinha’s creativity gave Barcelona a lifeline in a tough season. You couldn’t turn away from a Barca match without seeing him thread a pass no one else saw. Over in England, Mohamed Salah kept Liverpool hoping for silverware, racking up numbers that keep him on the Ballon d’Or shortlist year after year. Jude Bellingham brought Real Madrid a much-needed spark, notching 15 goals and 14 assists—good enough for third in La Liga for open-play chances. The kid plays like a leader beyond his years and looks set to make many more of these lists.

Beyond that, you've got solid seasons from young stars like Lamine Yamal in Barcelona’s attack and Lautaro Martínez banging in goals for Inter Milan. Vinícius Jr. kept his name in the mix, showing flashes of brilliance whenever Madrid needed a lift, and Robert Lewandowski’s consistency earned him yet another nod.

But the elephant in the room? This debate that never goes away: should the award go to the best team player or the player with the flashiest stats? Dembélé checks both boxes right now—he’s the Champions League star, and his stat sheet is stacked. But there’s a real argument for players like Bellingham and Salah, who delivered in stretch after stretch even if their clubs didn’t lift the same trophies.

It’s also worth shouting out PSG’s goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma. He posted clean sheets in a third of his appearances—a huge reason PSG took home the Ligue 1 and Champions League double.

Coaches aren’t left out of the conversation, either. Luis Enrique, fresh off his first season at PSG, is the favorite among managers. Hansi Flick is right there with him, along with Arne Slot and Antonio Conte, who worked wonders with less-heralded squads. Their battle is every bit as fierce as what’s going on among the players.

August’s phased roll-out of full Ballon d’Or nominee lists—the men's, women's, youngsters, and coaches’ shortlists—kept social media buzzing. Now the voting is happening behind closed doors, with the big reveal set for September. Until then, every match, stat, and hot take adds fuel to one of the biggest debates in sport: who really deserves football’s grandest individual prize?