Ranking the top 30 players nominated for the 2025 Ballon D'or based on skill NOT accomplishments

 Ranking Criteria

The top 30 were already selected a few days ago. What I did was give them a player rating based on how they played through the 2024/25 season and adjusted it based on the league they played. For example an 8/10 rated player in the Premier League will be ranked higher than an 8/10 player in Portugal's Primeira Liga. Here goes: 

30. Gianluigi Donnarumma

I love goalkeepers. I'm not being biased. He just happens to be here because PSG won everything. As for his stats, it's just above average. Here's what I like about him: he's tall, so his command of the penalty area is great and his reflexes and concentration are not far off too, we'll say good. I rated him a 6.8 but once you factor in he plays for Ligue Un it drops to 6.7.

29. Fabian Ruiz

Here's another player who is simply here because his club team won everything. But here's what I like about him: his passing and set piece deliveries are good due to his vision but his defensive impact dips compared to the standard of PSG last season. His adjusted Ligue Un ranking is 6.8.

28. Joao Neves

Now here's a player I like. Maybe I'm biased but I like his aerial strength and calm distribution. He's a midfielder who can shield incoming defense and launch attacks to the offense. I also have him at a 6.8 rating but I guess I'm biased.

27. Vitinha

Now this may surprise people but believe it or not, his stats were only slightly better than Neves at midfield. Had I have not looked at stats in front of me and just gone with what I saw, he would have been in my top ten. Here's what I think everyone liked from him last season: his precise passing and smart movement are even better than Neves but his defensive read is about the same earning him just a 6.9 rating.

26. Désiré Doué 

For any PSG fans out there, I am not shitting on their players by ranking them on the bottom, this is just how my stats aligned. I thought he kept up with Dembele and Kvaratskelia in the attack both in his eye for goal from the midfield range and running past defenders in the winger position. I give him a 7.1 rating for extra contribution to the attack compared to Neves and Vitinha.

25. Nuno Mendes

I know defenders don't get any love. But I'm actually ranking him higher than half of his team for his runs on the left wing area to bolster the attack more than because of his overall one-on-one defensive skills which were great as well. Once you couple in both, he's a solid 7.1 rating similar to Doue for different reasons.

24. Denzel Dumfries

This defender is an animal! He's the equivalent of Mendes just on the right side. His stamina and physicality scares most forwards, especially Barcelona's (joke). Like Mendes, he's consistent on both ends of the pitch with the same 7.1 rating but his physical gifts do it for me.

23. Achraf Hakimi

Without reviewing his stats and just watching him play, I thought he was the best defender of the season. I think he's a smart player with the right balance of adventurous play in the attack and disciplined positioning in the defense giving him a 7.2 rating.

22. Lautaro Martinez

Our first forward on the list is here for his clinical finishes and his intelligent link-up play. His well timed runs give defenders problems (including Barcelona) but when compared to other forwards I can only rank him so high, 7.3 to be exact.

21. Ousmane Dembele

Yes, you read that right. The likely ballon d'or winner is only statistically just outside the top 20. Why? Because his stats did him no favors. His goal contributions relied on his speed and service from the midfield more so than genuine magic or flashes of brilliance. I give him a 7.4 rating based on his skill and not factoring the fact that PSG won everything which is going to influence the real ballon d'or rankings overall more so than skill alone. 

20. Pedri

Now this midfielder was impressive and I'm a merengue (wink, wink). I also have him at a 7.4 rating but his stats are measured differently from Dembele since he's a midfielder. Compared to the midfielders ranked below him, his ball control was impeccable! He lacks in the physicality like Vitinha but he edges him in the technical mastery and vision. Some people think he's the best midfielder this season.

19. Khvicha Kvaratskelia

Look, I'm not being a troll here, but when you consider factors beyond the fact that Dembele had a better goals to assist ratio and he's the poster boy of PSG for being French, you'll understand why KK is ranked above him. Here's what did it for me: first, he has better dribbling and second his ability to unlock defenders had more to do with his timing and vision when compared to the speed of Dembele. Once you factor in his G/A ratio too, his rating is a 7.5 edging the "great" Dembele.

18. Scott McTominay

Another midfielder with all the skill in the world. Now, I'll admit not as skilled as Pedri but the difference was his physicality. He and Pedri are both tireless engines but unlike Pedri, he thrived in the physical duels and delivered unexpected crucial goals for Napoli to seal the Serie A title. His physical presence stemming from his premier league days, gives him a 7.5 rating.

17. Robert Lewandowski

The third forward on this list sits Lewandowski. Now ignore the number of goals he scored (which was third behind Salah and Mbappe). This is about his skill shown on stats, which were hard for me to rate him higher than 7.5 as his success had more to do with his intelligence. If we could rank every intelligence attribute he'd be a 9 but we can't. His intelligent movement contributes to his rating, yes but his intense focus and ability to punish defensive mistakes? Not so much.

16. Alexis Mac Allister

Yes, this goofy looking Argentinian is ranked higher than Lewandowski but let's compare him to the other midfielders instead. Mac Allister is the midfield piece equivalent to Van Dijk in the back and Salah in the front. He delivers incisive passes like Vitinha and Pedri, his work rate is just as high as Pedri on most days and unlike both of them, he's able to break up play better giving him a 7.5 rating. 

15. Virgil Van Dijk

Van Dijk is a boss who has already achieved defensive mastery. He rarely faces a challenge he can't neutralize. He's well organized, unshakable and reliable. Now I still think Hakimi might have been the best center back this year but once you adjust Van Dijk's rating to premier league standards and consider his aerial dominance and calmness under pressure his 7.5 rating is well earned.

14. Vinicius Junior

Low by his 2023/24 standards, but Vini still manages a 7.6 rating with his dribbling bursts that were slightly better than Dembele's just not as consistent at the highest level. What gets him ranked higher than the likes of Doue and Dembele are his unpredictable breaks past defenders, especially when in stalemates that lead to individual  brilliance covered into goals as opposed to Doue and Dembele relying on midfield service that Vini didn't have.

13. Serhou Guirassy

Now this name may haunt Cules in their sleep and the hat trick he secured against Barcelona is a big reason why he's on this list. But his 7.6 rating similar to Vini Jr. is for different reasons. Vini relied on speed and unpredictable breaks while Guirassy earns his rating for his fast one touch, power and ability to find pockets between center backs which is a nightmare for defenders.

12. Declan Rice

Now this guy definitely haunts Real Madrid fans in their sleep not knowing how to overcome a 3-0 deficit. He's got the intelligence of Lewandowski with the resilience of Pedri, and like any good midfielder, he's able to balance out defensive responsibilities while providing incisive forward passing to the attack. This makes him the highest rated midfielder thus far at 7.6.

11. Jude Bellingham

Although Rice finished in the semifinals with Arsenal in the UCL compared to the quarterfinal exit of Bellingham with Madrid and they both finished second place domestically but Rice doing it in a tougher league, Bellingham still had slightly better stats than Rice individually. Even though he wasn't as monstrous as last season, he still managed to score clutch goals as a midfielder, tactically he had better box-to-box challenges won than Rice and like Rice he showed the distribution level of a seasoned veteran and he's barely 25, giving him the first 7.7 rating. 

IT'S TOP 10 TIME!!!!

10. Florian Wirtz

The second midfielder with a 7.7 rating is Wirtz. His skillset is attributed to his playmaking abilities you'd expect from attacking midfielder and his goal threat equivalent of a good forward. Now he's not this clutch goal anchor that Bellingham is but he has supreme vision to orchestrate his attacks and is also lethal in threading passes through congested areas.

9. Viktor Gyokeres

Gyokeres was next level good at Sporting winning the league with them. Had he have pulled the numbers (stats and goals alike) in the Premier League or La Liga, he'd be talked about in the top 3 shortlist to win the whole thing. But since he did it in Portugals Primeira Liga his adjusted 7.7 rating will not be talked about. Excluding the goals he spammed, how did he do it? He did it by positioning himself in the right place, using different finishing variety and outsmarting even veteran defenders. He might send Arsenal across the finish line next season.

8. Cole Palmer

He might have a crappy haircut but he's well earned his 7.7 rating with his flair, vision and end product. Like Florian Wirtz, defenders struggle to anticipate his final touch and he can also win tight contests like him but what separates him from Wirtz is his creativity and consistency while doing it in the Premier League. But we'll eventually get some answers in our first Arsenal vs. Liverpool match.

7. Harry Kane

His stats and calculated skill were actually better last year but since he didn't win the league last year he didn't do as well in last year's ballon d'or rankings. That's why it's important to note that even though he won the league with Bayern Munich this year, his 7.8 rating has to do with his top-tier finishes and his ability to drop deep on his opponents when they least expect it and his ability to retain the ball as he runs past the defense.

6. Michael Olise

This midfielder has been unreal! You'd expect Vitinha's stats to look like his and vice-versa but no. In his rookie year for Bayern Munich he's contributed in double digits on both goal and assists. But ignoring those numbers, let's look at his skillset that warrants those numbers, a 7.8 rating and how he got there. First, his ability to pick out defense splitting passes to the likes of Kane, second his possession in the final third increasing the threat of a goal but mostly his ability to adapt to different styles to make those passes to Kane.

5. Kylian Mbappé

I love me some Kylian Mbappe. People are overlooking him because his team did not win anything but he still had amongst the highest rated skill individually. Let's look by the numbers, he still has the raw speed advantage over everyone! He has a better finishing rating over everyone, except for Haaland and Salah. Like Dembele, he doesn't need to dribble past the defense, his direct runs are enough, his numbers are higher than Dembele and he's doing it in La Liga. Now if he could link-up with his teammates better he'd be even higher but for now he sits at number five with a 7.8 rating.

4. Erling Haaland

I'll die by the sword and say he should have won the ballon d'or in 2023 and this year has been below average by him and his team's standards but his individual stats are still impressive. He's able to achieve his 7.9 rating due to his intensity! Although not as fast as Mbappe, he is as tactical and much more ruthless than him. He can't use direct runs to beat the defensive line but his movements still cause constant demand of attention from defenders. When he does reach the box, there is no one more clinical than him including the strikers ranked above him who had better seasons with better teams.

3. Mohamed Salah

This man is plain scary. Like Haaland, he also has a 7.9 rating. Although he is second to Mbappe in the Golden Shoe race, his rating is adjusted for his adaptability against different defensive lines and his readiness for set-pieces and counterattacks elevates his rating when you consider he's doing it in the premier league to win the whole thing. But most of all, his positioning is second to no current striker as he's been the best at cutting through open spaces to finish his chances. But we seem to forget because of how early they exited the champions league to PSG.

2. Raphinha

Now let me remind you, I am not a Barca fan and never will be but this is about his stats not my bias. When calculating is transitions, the chances he created in the attack and his tactical intelligence makes him the first 8 rated player. His consistency against top defenses places him at number two on aggregate.

1. Lamine Yamal

Yes, the wonder kid himself has already made it to the top of football in terms of skill at least racking up an 8.2 rating! His skill is actually matches most wingers but what sets him into the 8 plus echelon is his blistering pace and decisive decision making. Skill for skill he is the best player in the world with Salah and Raphinha a close set of runner ups but this award is based on the most accomplished player over skill. Furthermore, the world is not ready to call him the best, just like the football world fascinated with Messi and Ronaldo even though I had De Bruyne surpass them in skill in two separate occasions. But that's what we have here with Yamal.