Ballon d'Or ceremony: Will Salah or Hakimi pull off the "surprise"?

France Football magazine will unveil the winners of its 2025 Best Awards on Monday at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

Thirty players are vying to succeed Spain's Rodri in winning the Ballon d'Or for the world's best player, but the competition appears set to be narrowed down to Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé and Barcelona and Spain's rising young star , Lamine Yamal .

Dembélé had an exceptional season, leading Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup, as well as the French League and Coupe de France, contributing over 30 goals in various competitions. He also won the Champions League's Best Player award and the Onze d'Or award for the best player in Europe, making him a strong candidate for the Ballon d'Or. 

During the 2024/25 season, Yamal achieved notable accomplishments, including winning the Spanish League title, the King's Cup, and the Super Cup with Barcelona , ​​as well as receiving individual awards such as La Liga's Best Player, in addition to topping the list of the most valuable players in the world, with a market value of €200 million.

Voting method

The Ballon d'Or award is launched by France Football magazine , and has been given to the best player since 1956, while the best women's player award was presented for the first time in 2018.

Journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men's rankings select the winner of the Best Player award, while journalists from the top 50 countries in the FIFA women's rankings select the winner of the Best Player award.

One journalist from each country selects the players in order, with points calculated for each position, with the winner receiving the most points.

Salah and Hakimi

The list of nominees for the Best Player award included only two Arab stars: Moroccan Achraf Hakimi, the right-back for Paris Saint-Germain, and Egyptian Mohamed Salah, the right-winger for Liverpool .

The duo performed exceptionally well for their clubs last season, with Hakimi winning the historic treble (the French League, the French Cup, and the Champions League) with Paris Saint-Germain, with whom he also finished second in the Club World Cup, which concluded in the United States last month.

In contrast, Salah played a key role in Liverpool's 20th Premier League title, equaling the record for most wins in the prestigious competition held by arch-rivals Manchester United.

Salah was crowned the Premier League's top scorer for the fourth time in his British career last season, after scoring 29 goals in the competition. He also won the competition's top assist award, having provided 18 assists for his teammates.