The 30-man shortlist for the 2025 Ballon d'Or has been unveiled, and with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi absent again and last year's top dog Rodri not in contention either, we will see a first-time winner of the award later this year.
Paris St Germain, unsurprisingly, dominate the nominations after a trophy-laden campaign with no less than nine of their squad in the running, including favourite Ousmane Dembele as well as Nuno Mendes, Vitinha and Joao Neves, who also helped Portugal to Nations League glory this summer.
Barcelona quartet Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri are also in contention for the prestigious award that has been presented by France Football magazine since 1956, as are Premier League new boys Viktor Gyokeres and Florian Wirtz.
So who will claim the crown as the game's best male player at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on September 22?
Ballon d'Or 2025 Favourites
Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele
PSG forward Dembele is the overwhelming favourite @ 1/5 following a remarkable year in which he helped power the French giants to success in the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophée des Champions and UEFA Super Cup, scoring 32 goals in total and at last consistently realising the huge potential he has long promised.
Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal
The biggest challenge to Dembele appears to be Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal @ 7/2. Still only 18, Yamal has taken the footballing world by storm since bursting onto the scene two years ago.
He played a key role in helping Spain win Euro 2024, where he was named young player of the tournament, and last season was a driving force in a Barca side that won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup and reached the Champions League semi-finals. The supremely talented teenager may not get his hands on the Ballon d'Or this year, but it seems only a matter of time.
Raphinha
Raphinha
Another Barcelona winger who is fancied to be a contender for tonight's prize is Raphinna who can be gotten @ 14/1 to become the first Brazilian winner since Kaka in 2007.
It was an exceptional season for Barcelona last season where they won a La Liga title, Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España during which he contributed 34 goals and 25 assists in 57 across 57 games.
Vitinha
Vitinha
The success of PSG over the last 12 months means Vitinha can be gotten @ 14/1 and Hakimi is currently priced at @ 33/1
Both could still stake a claim to the prestigious prize although it is 25-year-old midfield schemer Vitinha who has the edge in the betting after his role in the French club's record-breaking best season.
Other Contenders
Who else?
Liverpool stalwart Mohamed Salah @ 16/1 and Chelsea forward Cole Palmer@ 20/1 lead the Premier League contingent, while Real Madrid duo Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham are both 150/1 outsiders to improve on last year, when they finished second and third respectively at a ceremony the Spanish giants controversially refused to attend.
Harry Kane picked up the first major honour of his career by firing Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title with a 26-goal haul, and he is also 150/1 to add the game's top individual award to his collection.
Georgian ace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who played key roles in helping Napoli and PSG to their domestic titles last season, is 40/1 while his former club-mate Scott McTominay can be backed @ 250/1 after taking Serie A by storm following his move from Manchester United.
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