Ballon d'Or Nominees: Ousmane Dembélé, Chloe Kelly Among Top Players
Updated
Aug. 7, 2025 1:20 p.m. ET
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Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé and England forward Chloe Kelly are among the contenders to win the men's and women's Ballon d'Or award.
The 30 men's and 30 women's nominees were revealed Thursday by France Football magazine, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in Paris on Sept. 22.
The 28-year-old Dembélé was inspirational in leading PSG to its first Champions League title after years of falling short and helped the French club complete a treble. He scored a career-high 35 goals overall for PSG last season.
Teenage star Lamine Yamal, whose mesmerizing performances lit up the Champions League and helped Barcelona win the Spanish league title, is among the other men's nominees.
Kelly starred for England at Euros
When England won the women's European Championship last month, the 27-year-old Kelly blasted home the decisive penalty in the final against World Cup winner Spain. She also played a key role earlier in the tense knockout stages.
Last season, Kelly played on the right flank as Arsenal won the women's Champions League with another against-the-odds win over powerhouse Barcelona.
She faces competition from defender Lucy Bronze and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton — her England teammates who both play for Chelsea — and from Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, the winner of the past two awards.
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Barcelona players have won the past four women's awards. Bronze was runner-up in 2019 to U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe.
Chloe Kelly has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or Award, along with two-time winner Aitana Bonmatí. (Photo by Joan Cros - Corbis/Getty Images)
PSG players in the spotlight
Dembélé was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men's award, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, forward Désiré Doué, who scored twice in the 5-0 rout of Inter Milan in the Champions League final, and inspirational winger Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia, who joined from Napoli in the January transfer window.
The other men's nominees include Egypt striker Mo Salah, whose 29 league goals helped Liverpool win the Premier League, and prolific Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé, who netted 44 times for Madrid last season.
Midfielder Rodri won the Ballon d'Or last year after impressing with Manchester City and Spain but missed most of last season with a knee injury.
Real Madrid snubbed the star-studded ceremony last year in apparent protest because its forward Vinícius Júnior finished in second place. After staying away, Madrid and its players then vented their feelings on social media.
The voting system
The Ballon d'Or was created by France Football magazine and has been awarded since 1956 for men, and since 2018 for women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for the men's award and the top 50 FIFA-ranked countries for the women's award.
Each journalist, one per country, selects players in ranked order with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points.
Other nominations
PSG coach Luis Enrique was among the nominees for best men's coach and England's Sarina Wiegman best women's coach.
Donnarumma, whose shot-stopping in the knockout stages proved crucial to PSG's success, is favored to win the Lev Yashin award for best men's goalkeeper, while Hampton is among the five women's candidates for that award.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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We were at renowned Spanish chef Jose Andres' Mercado Little Spain in Hudson Yards, New York, welcoming the then-30-year-old striker to NWSL's Gotham FC. At just 5ft 3in (161cm), Esther was soft-spoken and unassuming, almost too quiet for a newly crowned world champion. But unlike her headline-grabbing team-mates Putellas and Bonmati, Esther carved out her legacy with quiet consistency to become one of Spain's most reliable goalscorers. Known for her lethal precision and tireless work ethic, she delivered Gotham a championship soon after her arrival. Nicknamed La Reina, she brings both grit and grace to the pitch at national and club level. Beyond her impressive goals and spatial excellence, she is a leader who inspires team-mates. She is the kind of player every team dreams of: consistent, fearless and clutch. Asli Pelit Ewa Pajor (Barcelona and Poland) Arriving at Barca and standing out in your first year in a team full of stars and with two players who have won the last four Ballon d'Or awards — Bonmati and Putellas — is no mean feat. But that is exactly what Ewa Pajor did last season. The Poland international arrived to try to fill the void left by Caldentey — they do not play the same position, but Caldentey brought versatility to the team and even played as a No 9 in many matches during the 2023-24 season. And she succeeded. Pajor gave the team something it was missing: a centre-forward who could score goals. And nobody came close in that field. She was Liga F's Golden Boot winner with 25 goals — nine more than the two players in joint-second on the list, Putellas and Edna Imade — and Barcelona's top scorer, with 43 goals in 46 games across all competitions. It's hard to argue with that. Laia Cervello Herrero Emily Fox (Arsenal and USWNT) Emily Fox always dreamed of playing in Europe, and in the past 18 months, she's made that dream come true. After helping the U.S. win Olympic gold in Paris, she joined Arsenal and capped off the season by lifting the UEFA Women's Champions League trophy in Lisbon in May. Fox was a No 1 NWSL draft pick in 2021, rising through the ranks at University of North Carolina despite early injuries, eventually leading Tar Heels to an ACC title and earning a USWNT call-up while still a sophomore in college. In the pros, she quickly stood out at Racing Louisville, then moved to North Carolina Courage, helping them win the 2023 Challenge Cup. What sets Fox apart is her mental toughness, tactical intelligence and elite athleticism. She is a complete full-back built for the modern game. Now 27, she is arguably the best right-back in the women's game, delivering on a promise she saw coming since she was five years old. Asli Pelit This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Arsenal, Barcelona, England, Spain, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
