Mohamed Salah, Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi: Who should win the 2025 Ballon d'Or?

Ballon d'Or day is almost upon us once again, as the globe's finest footballers and coaches arrive in the French capital en masse for the 2025 ceremony on Monday evening.

The glistening Theatre du Chatelet is once again the setting for a night of celebration, where a total of 12 awards will be handed out to some of the planet's most revered names in both the men's and women's game, from the young players' Kopa Trophies to the Johan Cruyff awards for managers.

Those prizes form part of the undercard to the main event - the Ballon d'Or and Ballon d'Or Feminin - and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati will be pursuing an unprecedented third straight prize in the latter category.

However, a first-time winner will be crowned in the men's Ballon d'Or voting, as Manchester City and Spain star Rodri will not defend his 2024 prize following his crushing ACL injury, and there are a few standout candidates among the 30-strong list.

Here, the Sports Mole team predicts their winners for the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or.

Barney Corkhill, Editor - Mohamed Salah

I am happy to admit to an element of Liverpool bias by choosing Mo Salah for this award, and accept that he is unlikely to actually win it, but there is also ample statistical evidence to back up why he should be crowned the world's best player.

The headline figure is a staggering 60 direct goal contributions, including a record-equalling 47 in the most difficult league in the world as he inspired Liverpool to only their second Premier League title in 35 years at a canter.

For much of the campaign, Salah seemed to shatter a new incredible record every week, and it was the type of season that catapulted him from being a Liverpool and Premier League legend, to being firmly in the conversation of Liverpool's and the Premier League's greatest ever player.

It is Liverpool's relatively early Champions League exit that is the biggest blocker to Salah winning this award, but I have felt for a long time that too much emphasis is put on team success for this individual award. It should hold some weight, but should losing on penalties to the eventual winners of the competition almost immediately rule him out of the running? Not for me.

Salah registered the greatest individual season in Premier League history last term; as incredible as the likes of Dembele, Yamal and Raphinha were as well, I'm not sure they can say the same for their respective leagues.

Matt Law, Football Editor - Ousmane Dembele

It is difficult to look past Dembele here; the attacker had a truly outstanding 2024-25 campaign, scoring 35 goals and registering 16 assists in 53 appearances, winning the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions in the process.

Dembele finally showed his world-class qualities last term, and it is his part in PSG's Champions League success that makes him the favourite for the accolade.

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal deserves a special mention - he will win a fair few of these in the future - while PSG midfielder Vitinha is also among the contenders, but it has to be Dembele.

Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter - Ousmane Dembele

I'm voting with both my head and my heart here.

While the Ballon d'Or should celebrate individual achievements first and foremost, collective successes are always factored into the equation - perhaps too much - and winning either the World Cup, Euros or Champions League already puts a nominee at a significant advantage.

Therefore, there is no way I cannot back the rejuvenated Ousmane Dembele for the accolade after an extraordinary and unprecedented 2024-25 season, in which he registered an astounding 51 goal contributions in 53 matches.

No player scored more than his 21 Ligue 1 goals, and he contributed to 14 strikes in 15 Champions League games en route to PSG's long-awaited maiden crown, including at least one direct involvement in each of his last six appearances.

From an injury-prone Barcelona flop to one of the most lethal strikers on the planet, Dembele's story is one to behold, and one that warrants a shiny Ballon d'Or.

Joel Lefevre, Reporter - Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele should be the clear winner of this award.

Playing in a league that isn’t deemed particularly strong, such as Ligue 1, I fear may lead others to lean towards Lamine Yamal or Mohamed Salah.

Both had stellar campaigns, but Dembele’s all-around performances, statistics, and achievements, not just domestically but also in Europe, were more impressive.

His influence on every Paris Saint-Germain match last season was evident, and it made people forget that they’d lost their record goalscorer, Kylian Mbappe.

Dembele was the joint top-goalscorer in Ligue 1 and had eight goals in their run to the Champions League crown on a squad where Luis Enrique demanded him to do so much.

What sets Dembele apart from the previous names mentioned is his defensive responsibilities, which were enormous last season.

He was often tracking back, starting moves deep into PSG’s end while also being involved in most of his team’s goals.

The Frenchman delivered all season long for both club and country and had just as much or more on his plate as Liverpool and Barcelona’s key figures.

He was the overall best player last season, and no one deserves the Ballon d’Or more than him.

Matheus Rocha, Trivela sub-coordinator - Ousmane Dembele

This is probably one of the most difficult individual prizes to predict in quite some time, due to the main favourites not having a true individual separation to be considered a clear-cut winner.

Ousmane Dembele is going to win the prize due to his performances when it mattered the most for PSG – last round of the league stage and during the knockouts of the Champions League.

The French striker added a decent impact in the Club World Cup when he was fit to play after an injury.

Also, his main competitors – Lamine Yamal and Raphinha – are from the same club and despite having great years, they didn’t reach the UCL final.

Then their chances were doomed since Barcelona were already confirmed to miss on the CWC due to lacklustre European performances in the qualification cycle.

Ed Dove, North Star Network Head of Media - Achraf Hakimi

Ousmane Dembele appears to be the overwhelming favourite for the award, so I expect it to be him...but would love to see Achraf Hakimi get some recognition for a remarkable season for Paris Saint-Germain.

As well as establishing himself as the world's best player in his position -- playing his part in 26 clean sheets from right-back during PSG's title-winning campaign -- he also proved himself to be a consistent attacking threat as Luis Enrique's side dominated on multiple fronts, with 19 direct goal contributions across Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

The full-back proved himself to be a big game player as well, with goals in the UCL quarter-final, semi-final, and final, as well as in the French Cup triumph over Reims.

Romain Lantheaume, Top Mercato - Ousmane Dembele

Of course, the 2024 edition reminds us that a last-minute surprise is always possible. However, I can't see how the Ballon d'Or could escape Ousmane Dembele this year.

It makes sense for a PSG player to be rewarded given the four titles won and the great season enjoyed by the Parisians, with a crushing victory in the Champions League final. And the most decisive player in this team has undoubtedly been Ousmane Dembélé.

Of course, Lamine Yamal is more exciting, more talented, and more spectacular. But the notion of trophies won remains important in the eyes of the jury, and even with a possible split in the votes between Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, and Vitinha, who are also expected to finish in the top five, the PSG forward should finish with a lead that is not necessarily overwhelming but clear enough.