The 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings took a little twist after the conclusion of the FIFA Club World Cup tournament in the United States on Sunday night.
The Intercept reports that Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to win the Club World Cup final.
A first-half brace from Cole Palmer and a goal from Joao Pedro gave the Blues the victory against the French Ligue 1 champions at the MetLife Stadium.
A few players stood out during the competition and were rewarded with individual prizes.
Palmer won the award for the Best Player of the Tournament, PSG’s Desire Doué won the Best Young Player award, Chelsea’s Robert Sánchez won the Best Goalkeeper award, and Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia won the top goalscorer award.
However, ahead of this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, which will take place in September, talks are heating up around the top contenders for the prestigious individual prize following the conclusion of the Club World Cup.
Chelsea’s recent success in the Club World Cup has propelled at least one of their key player, Palmer, into the spotlight to be considered in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
Prior to the Club World Cup, Palmer finished the 2024/25 season as Chelsea’s top scorer with 15 goals and 11 assists.
However, The Intercept take a look at the top contenders emerging after the Club World Cup which had little impact on the Ballon d’Or rankings.
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) Stats: 26 goals, Trophies: Bundesliga title
- Pedri (Barcelona) Trophies: La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa.
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea) Stats: 15 goals, 11 assists, including 3 goals from Club World Cup. Trophies: UEFA Europa Conference League, Club World Cup, Club World Cup Player of the Tournament award.
- Fabian Ruiz (PSG) Trophies: UCL, Ligue 1, Serie A, Coupe de France
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG) Stats: 14 goals, 11 assists Trophies: UCL, Ligue 1, Serie A, Coupe de France
- Desire Doue (PSG) Stats: 15 goals, 16 assists Trophies: UCL, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions
- Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) Stats: 38 goals, 7 assists Trophies: UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) Stats: 36 goals, 24 assists Trophies: English Premier League
- Achraf Hakimi (PSG) Stats: 11 goals, 15 assists Trophies: UCL, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) Stats: 21 goals, 26 assists Trophies: La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa.
- Raphinha (Barcelona) Stats: 39 goals, 25 assists Trophies: La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa.
- Vitinha (PSG) Stats: 7 goals, 6 assists Trophies: UCL, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions, Nations League
- Ousmane Dembele (PSG) Stats: 38 goals, 14 assists. Trophies: UCL, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions.
However, speaking with DAILY POST on Monday, Cool FM’s Taiwo Babajide gave his opinion on the impact of the Club World Cup outcome on the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Babajide insisted that Dembele is the number one favourite to claim the prize ahead of other players.
