Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or award following his scintillating performances both for Man City and Spain. He won the Premier League title with the Citizens and played a big role in Spain’s run to the 2024 European Championship glory in Germany.
Many football fans may have suggested that the Spaniard didn’t deserve to win the prestigious football award, as Vinicius Jr. did everything human to win the award, but what he did for City and Spain this year cannot be overlooked.
Rodri has won the 2024 Ballon d’Or award, now we have to take a quick peep at some of the top names who are the favorites to battle for the 2025 Ballon d’Or award. And this wouldn’t come as a surprise that Rodri isn’t one of the top names to win the next Ballon d’Or as he’s currently nursing a long-term ACL injury, and hasn’t done much to be considered as one of the top names for next year’s award.
Ballon d’Or 2025 Top Five Favourites
Below are some of the players that are considered favorites to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or award, and Manchester City’s Rodri is not one of them, for the reasons mentioned above.
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Vinicius Jr: The Real Madrid forward was initially the man to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or award after his superb contributions in La Liga and Champions League with the Whites. He scored in the final as Madrid beat Dortmund 2-0, but after a last-minute twist, the Brazilian winger lost the award to Rodri, finishing in 2nd place. However, he is resilient and has already started building up his tally for next year. He scored a hat-trick as Real came from behind to beat Dortmund 5-2 in the UCL. This season so far, Vinicius Jr. has scored five goals and provided four assists in 11 La Liga matches, and three goals in three Champions League matches (correct as of 3/11/2024).
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Kylian Mbappe: The former PSG forward has made it clear that his top priority this season is to challenge for the 2025 Ballon d’Or award after failing terribly at PSG. And his performances this season suggest he can battle for the award. The 25-year-old striker has scored six goals and provided one assist in 10 La Liga matches this term, and in the Champions League, he has one goal and one assist in three games.
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Robert Lewandowski: The Polish striker is not getting much praise for his performances this season with Barcelona. The 36-year-old forward has scored 14 goals and provided 2 assists in 11 La Liga matches. His presence is also felt in the Champions League, with three goals in three matches. His current form suggests he remains one of the favorites to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or award, and if he improves further, his chances of winning it will be high.
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Lamine Yamal: Is it too early to throw the young Spaniard into the list of favorites for the 2025 Ballon d’Or award? No. He may be a teenager, but his performances on the pitch scream otherwise. The Barca winger played a key role in Spain’s success in the 2024 Euros, and he’s already helping the Catalans to challenge for the La Liga title this season. Yamal’s numbers and impact on the pitch make him one of the top favorites to challenge for next year's prestigious award. In La Liga, the Spain international scored five goals and set up six assists in 11 matches. He has one assist and one goal in three UCL matches already.
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Lautaro Martinez: Many football fans were left stunned when they saw that Martinez finished in 8th place in the 2024 Ballon d’Or list, given his achievements last season. He finished as the highest goalscorer in Serie A and Copa America and also won both competitions. However, he has already shown this season that he is ready to battle for the award next season, as he currently has four goals and two assists in nine Serie A games and one goal in three Champions League games.
Some players can also be considered favorites for the 2025 Ballon d’Or award as the season advances, and we will make some changes if needed.