The Ballon d’Or race is heating up as the 2024-25 season barrels toward its climax, and this year, it’s anyone’s game. Without a summer international tournament to tilt the scales, club performances are the sole currency—goals, assists, trophies, and those indelible moments that define legacies. Rodri’s 2024 win certified the end of the Messi–Ronaldo duopoly, but with the Spaniard sidelined by injury, a new champion will emerge. The field is a mix of teenage prodigies, resurgent stars, and grizzled veterans, each weaving a narrative that could sway voters. As of March, eight players stand atop the Ballon d’Or pile, their cases built on stats, swagger, and silverware potential. Let’s dive in.
Ballon d’Or Contenders
Lamine Yamal: The Kid Who’s Already a Giant
Lamine Yamal shouldn’t be this good, this young. At 17, the Barcelona winger has 13 goals and 16 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions, numbers that scream superstar for a player still in his teens. His breakout at Euro 2024 was just the appetizer; this season, he’s the main course. Take October’s El Clásico: Yamal’s curling strike past Andriy Lunin wasn’t just a goal—it was a declaration, his icy celebration a middle finger to the notion of youthful inexperience.
Barcelona’s resurgence under Hansi Flick owes much to Yamal. They lead La Liga and are in the Champions League quarter-finals, with the teenager as their spark. No one under 20 has ever won the Ballon d’Or—Ronaldo was 21 in 1997—but Yamal’s trajectory suggests he could rewrite that Ballon d’Or history. The caveat? He’s logging heavy minutes, and a late-season fade could dim his shine. For now, he’s a phenomenon, a kid playing like a veteran with the world watching.
Lamine Yamal is the youngest goalscorer in the history of the UEFA Nations League, aged 17 and 253 days pic.twitter.com/NOdAcyogLL
— 365Scores (@365Scores) March 24, 2025
Ousmane Dembélé: The Redemption Arc Hits Its Peak
Ousmane Dembélé’s career has been a wild ride—flashes of genius derailed by injuries—but in 2025, he’s found his stride. The PSG forward has 30 goals and six assists in 37 games, including a staggering 21 in Ligue 1 alone. Kylian Mbappé’s exit to Real Madrid handed Dembélé the keys to Paris, and he’s delivered. His equalizer at Anfield against Liverpool in the Champions League last-16 was a microcosm of his season: pace, poise, and a finish that said, “I’m here to stay.”
PSG are unbeaten in Ligue 1 and face Aston Villa in the Champions League quarters. If they go deep—or win it all—Dembélé’s case becomes ironclad. At 27, he’s shedding the “what-if” label, proving he’s more than a highlight reel. The only knock is Ligue 1’s softer reputation, but his numbers and big-game moments are hard to ignore. This isn’t just a comeback—it’s a Ballon d’Or coronation in waiting.
Ousmane Dembélé nets his 21st goal of 2025 across all competitions, becoming the first player from the top five leagues to achieve this in the first three months of a calendar year since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018!
pic.twitter.com/uaRZaQebLe
— 365Scores (@365Scores) March 11, 2025
Vinícius Júnior: The Fire Still Burns
Vinícius Júnior plays like a man possessed, and maybe he is. After finishing second to Rodri in 2024—a result that sparked Real Madrid’s ceremony boycott—he’s back with 18 goals and nine assists in 39 games. His second-half hat-trick against Dortmund in the Champions League flipped a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 rout, a reminder of his knack for seizing the spotlight. He’s still Real’s most dangerous weapon, even with Mbappé in the fold.
Madrid’s season has been patchy, but they’re alive in La Liga and the Champions League quarters. Vinícius thrives in chaos—his dribbling, his flair, his refusal to back down. Sharing the attack with Mbappé and Bellingham might thin his stats, but his ability to deliver on the biggest stages—like the 2022 Champions League final—keeps him front and center. This isn’t just a campaign; it’s a vendetta, and he’s not done yet.
Harry Kane: The Drought-Ender in Sight
Harry Kane’s career is a paradox: a goalscoring titan with no trophies to show for it. In 2025, that could change. The Bayern Munich striker has 32 goals and 9 assists in 37 games, including 21 in the Bundesliga and 10 in the Champions League. His brace against Lazio in the round of 16 was pure Kane—ruthless efficiency in a 3-0 win that sent Bayern to the quarters. With an six-point lead in Germany and the Champions League final at the Allianz Arena, the stars are aligning.
Kane’s 2024 Gerd Müller Trophy—shared with Mbappé for 52 goals—proved he’s still elite at 31. No Englishman has won the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001, and Kane’s quiet consistency doesn’t always scream “superstar.” But if Bayern lift silverware, his case strengthens. He’s not flashy; he’s relentless. This could be the year the curse breaks—and the golden ball follows.
Jude Bellingham: The Maestro in a New Role
Jude Bellingham’s first Real Madrid season was a dream—23 goals, La Liga Player of the Year, a Champions League title at 20. This year, he’s evolving. Mbappé’s arrival has nudged him deeper, and his 11 goals and 11 assists in 38 games reflect a shift to playmaker. He’s still a force—top-five percentile in passing, take-ons, and tackles among Europe’s midfielders. His masterclass against Manchester City in the Champions League, setting up a goal and running the show, showed his adaptability.
Real Madrid’s trophy hunt keeps Bellingham relevant, but his lower goal tally might hurt in a striker-heavy race. At 21, he’s a long-term bet, a player whose all-around game echoes Rodri’s winning formula. If he steps up in May’s defining moments, he could leapfrog the pack. For now, he’s a dark horse, simmering with potential.
Robert Lewandowski: The Ageless Wonder Strikes Back
Robert Lewandowski laughs at Father Time. At 36, the Barcelona striker has 22 goals in La Liga and 3 in the Champions League, leading the Spanish scoring charts. His quickfire double in a 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid was a throwback to his Bayern peak, a middle finger to anyone who thought he was done. Under Flick, he’s thriving, a focal point for a Barça side atop La Liga and in the European mix.
Lewandowski’s 2020 Ballon d’Or snub—when COVID canceled the award despite his treble—still stings. This could be his last shot, and he’s playing like it. Team success is key; if Barcelona win big, his legacy might finally get its due. He’s not the flashiest, but his consistency is unmatched. The clock’s ticking, but Lewandowski’s not out of time yet.
376 goals
— 365Scores (@365Scores) March 16, 2025
74 assists
Robert Lewandowski is the 3rd player after Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to have 450 goal contributions in Europe's Top-5 leagues pic.twitter.com/YptFsd4bE0
Pedri: The Silent Engine of Barcelona’s Revival
Pedri doesn’t chase headlines—he creates them quietly. The 22-year-old midfielder has five goals and seven assists in 42 games, but his value transcends stats. He’s Barcelona’s metronome, relieving pressure, linking play, unlocking defenses. His standout shift came against Bayern in the Champions League, a 90-minute clinic in control that left Munich reeling. Under Flick, he’s back to the form that made him a teenage star.
Injuries once slowed him, but a healthy Pedri is world-class. If Barcelona lift La Liga or the Champions League, his role as the glue could shine through. He’s not the loudest contender, but in a year where midfielders like Rodri have won, his understated brilliance might resonate. Pedri’s a sleeper—until he’s not.
Pedri: The midfield maestro.
— 365Scores (@365Scores) March 3, 2025
The Barcelona star has won more possessions in La Liga AND across Europe’s top 5 leagues than any other player. Pure class.pic.twitter.com/gYZdunSDM3
Mohamed Salah: The Egyptian Is Still Roaring
Mohamed Salah keeps defying the aging curve. At 32, the Liverpool forward has 32 goals and 22 assists in 43 games, driving Arne Slot’s side to the Premier League summit and the Champions League quarters. His hat-trick against Tottenham in December was vintage Salah—pace, precision, and a refusal to relent. With his contract ticking down, every game feels like a statement.
Liverpool’s title chase is Salah’s lifeline. If they end their drought—or add Europe—he’s got a shot. His 2022 near-miss (seventh place) showed voters respect him, but he’ll need hardware to leapfrog younger stars. Salah’s not done rewriting his story, and 2025 could be the perfect chapter.
Right now, it’s a toss-up. Yamal’s youth and Vinícius’s fire lead the pack, but Dembélé’s redemption and Kane’s trophy hunt are closing in. Bellingham and Pedri offer midfield magic, while Lewandowski and Salah bring veteran grit. Team success will decide it—Champions League glory or a domestic title could be the tiebreaker. With months to go, the race is fluid, thrilling, and wide open. Who’s your money on?
By Nicky Helfgott – NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter)
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