Ballon d'Or odds: who will win the Golden ball in 2025?

Ballon d'Or is the annual award for the best footballer of the previous season (August 1 to July 31), and this year, the ceremony is held on September 22, 2025, in Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. While Lionel Messi leads the way with eight Golden Balls, Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most nominations with 18. The best days of their careers are gone; now it's time for new heroes. MightyTips' experts list Ballon d'Or odds, talk about the main favourites to receive the award and make a prediction on the winner.

The thirty nominees were named on August 7, 2025. Rodri, who won the award in 2024, didn't make the list, as his Manchester City finished last season without a single trophy. The defending UEFA Champions League champions, Paris Saint-Germain, have nine contenders, more than any other club.

Here are the 2025 Ballon d'Or nominees!#ballondor pic.twitter.com/tehmbU4R0j

— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) August 7, 2025

The Ballon d'Or odds are valid as of August 20, 2025.

Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)

The French striker is the clear favourite to receive the award, just as the odds suggest. His Paris Saint-Germaint won the Ligue 1 and the French Cup last season and finally celebrated success in the UEFA Champions League, where they demolished Inter Milan 5-0 in the final. Dembélé couldn't win the UEFA Nations League with France, claiming bronze, and was on the losing side in the FIFA Club World Cup final, where PSG was trashed 3-0 by Chelsea. Overall, he scored 35 goals in 53 matches for his club, adding two more goals for the national team. Dembélé started the new season by winning the UEFA Super Cup and receiving the Player of the Match award.

Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona)

It appears that the FC Barcelona prodigy is the only real rival of Dembélé. He helped the Catalonian club to win La Liga and Copa del Rey, but they lost to Inter in the Champions League semifinals. Yamal also couldn't win the UEFA Nations League, as Portugal defeated Spain in the final on penalties. The 18-year-old has also played 55 matches at club level in the 24/25 season, scoring 18 goals. He also scored two goals in the Nations League finals, including the first penalty of his professional career.

Vitinha (PSG)

The third contender in the list is another PSG player, Vitinha. The midfielder won four trophies this season, helping Portugal to triumph in the UEFA Nations League. Vitinha was included in the Champions League team of the tournament. He has played 59 matches for Paris Saint-Germain in the last campaign, scoring 8 goals and delivering 11 assists. His position does not intend spectacular football and loads of goals, but he still had an excellent 24/25 season.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool FC)

The Egyptian striker delivered a sensational 24/25 campaign for Liverpool FC, scoring 29 Premier League goals and registering 18 assists, making him both the league's top scorer and assist provider. Salah's exploits earned him the Premier League Golden Boot, Playmaker of the Season, and EA SPORTS Player of the Season, making him the first to win all three in one campaign. He also secured the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year awards.

Rafinha (FC Barcelona)

Raphinha enjoyed a breakout season at Barcelona. Across 57 appearances, he scored 34 goals and provided 25 assists in all competitions. In La Liga alone, he notched 18 goals and 11 assists in 36 matches, earning him the Player of the Season award. His Champions League performance was equally remarkable: he ended as joint top scorer with 13 goals, led the competition in assists, and was included in the Champions League Team of the Season.

We won’t invent the wheel here. Dembélé simply was second to none last season, and it’s even surprising that the bookies still allow betting on this award ceremony. While the odds of 1.14 are far from impressive, we’ll be ready to eat our hats if the Frenchman won’t become the winner.