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Three Real Madrid Players Included On 2025 Ballon d'Or Shortlist

Originally posted on Real Madrid CF on SI
By Jordan Merritt | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 11:10 AM ET

A trio of Real Madrid players have been nominated for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, but will likely miss out on the prize, with several players predicted to have better chances. Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr. all joined the 27 other players on the shortlist for one of the most prestigious awards in soccer.

Mbappe looks to have the best chance out of the three players thanks to scooping the European Golden Boot Award in his first season with Los Blancos. However, PSG player Ousmane Dembele looks to be the hot favorite, helping his team win the domestic treble and the UEFA Champions League.

The Frenchman scored 21 times for the Parisians in the league, while also adding 14 goals in other competitions. Below is the complete list of nominees for the 2025 award per UEFA.com.

Full List of nominees for the 2025 Ballon d'Or

Ousmane Dembélé (PSG and France)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG and Italy)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England)
Désiré Doué (PSG and France)
Denzel Dumfries (Internazionale and the Netherlands)
Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund and Guinea)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway)
Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal and Sweden)
Achraf Hakimi (PSG and Morocco)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG and Georgia)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona and Poland)
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool and Argentina)
Lautaro Martinez (Internazionale and Argentina)
Scott McTominay (Napoli and Scotland)
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid and France)
Nuno Mendes (PSG and Portugal)
João Neves (PSG and Portugal)
Pedri (FC Barcelona and Spain)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea and England)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich and France)
Raphinha (Barcelona and Brazil)
Declan Rice (Arsenal and England)
Fabián Ruiz (PSG and Spain)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)
Florian Wirtz (Liverpool and Spain)
Vitinha (PSG and Portugal)
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid and Brazil)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool and the Netherlands)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool and Egypt)

The three Madrid players will be hoping they will have a much better chance in 2026 as they start life under new head coach Xabi Alonso. Bellingham will be about behind the others as he returns from a shoulder injury in October.

This article first appeared on Real Madrid CF on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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