Ballon d’Or 2025: Key Stats Behind the 30 Nominees
The 2025 Ballon d’Or nominees are packed with stars who delivered extraordinary numbers over the past year. From prolific scorers to creative playmakers and rock-solid defenders, here’s a look at the key stats that earned each of them a spot on the list.
Lamine Yamal – 161 Successful Dribbles
Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal lit up Europe in 2024-25. He led Europe’s top five leagues in carries leading to shots (56) and chances created (35) and completed 161 successful dribbles – 54 more than anyone else.
Florian Wirtz – 12 Open-Play Assists
Wirtz had a stellar campaign for Bayer Leverkusen, recording 12 assists from open play – the third highest tally in Europe. He was also one of only six players in Europe’s top leagues to reach double figures for both goals and assists.
Vitinha – 137 Pressured Line-Breaking Passes
PSG’s midfield orchestrator Vitinha excelled under pressure, completing 137 line-breaking passes while being closely marked – more than any other UCL player. He also delivered four of these passes that directly led to goals within 10 seconds.
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Vinícius Jr. – 20 Goal Contributions from Carries
Vinícius Jr. was a constant threat for Real Madrid, recording 20 goal contributions following ball carries – the most in Europe’s top five leagues. He also created 55 chances after carries, showcasing his unstoppable dribbling.
Virgil van Dijk – 403 Line-Breaking Passes
The Liverpool captain dominated possession play, completing 403 line-breaking passes in the Premier League, the third most in the division. He also led the league for passes that broke all three defensive lines, with 10.
Mohamed Salah – 47 Goal Involvements
Salah produced a record-breaking 2024-25 season, registering 47 goal involvements – the most ever in a 38-game Premier League campaign. He finished with 13 more goal contributions than any other player in Europe’s top leagues.
Fabián Ruiz – 90.3% Pass Accuracy
Ruiz was instrumental in PSG’s Champions League triumph, maintaining a 90.3% pass accuracy over nearly 4,000 minutes. He also scored crucial goals, including one in the semi-final against Arsenal and a brace in the Club World Cup semi-final.
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Declan Rice – 2 Direct Free-Kick Goals in UCL Knockouts
Rice thrived in an advanced role for Arsenal, posting his best-ever numbers with 9 goals, 10 assists, and 82 chances created. He became the first player to score two direct free-kicks in a UCL knockout match, doing so against Real Madrid.
Raphinha – 56 Goal Involvements
Barcelona’s Raphinha was one of Europe’s most productive attackers with 56 goal involvements across all competitions. He matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 21 Champions League goal involvements in a single season.
Pedri – 58 Pre-Chance Passes
Pedri continued to showcase his creative brilliance, completing 11 line-breaking passes under pressure – more than any other UCL player. He also led Europe’s top leagues in passes played before a chance was created with 58.
Cole Palmer – 5 Final Goal Contributions
Palmer stepped up on the biggest stages for Chelsea, recording five goal contributions across two major finals. He assisted twice in the Conference League final and followed up with two goals and an assist in the Club World Cup final win over PSG.
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Michael Olise – Most Big Chances Created in Europe
Olise made an immediate impact after joining Bayern Munich, creating more big chances than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues. He also ranked second for assists (15), expected assists (12.5), and open-play chances created (75).
João Neves – 57 UCL Tackles
The young PSG midfielder topped the Champions League charts for tackles with 57 and ranked second for duels won (107). He also chipped in with eight Ligue 1 assists, underlining his all-round ability.
Nuno Mendes – 119 Duels Won in UCL
Mendes was relentless in PSG’s left-back role, winning 119 duels – the most in the Champions League. He also made 48 tackles (second most) and 23 interceptions, playing a key defensive role in PSG’s UCL triumph.
Scott McTominay – 12 Serie A Goals
Napoli’s midfield general had a season to remember, scoring 12 goals to lead all Serie A midfielders. Impressively, eight of his strikes broke deadlocks, highlighting his clutch performances.
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Kylian Mbappé – 31 League Goals
Mbappé silenced doubts in his debut Real Madrid season by scoring 31 league goals – the most in Europe’s top leagues. He also tied Robert Lewandowski for the most non-penalty goals across the continent.
Lautaro Martínez – 9 Champions League Goals
Martínez had a record-setting Champions League campaign, scoring nine goals – equalling Inter’s all-time best for a single season. His finishing was crucial as Inter reached the latter stages of the competition.
Alexis Mac Allister – 13 Goal-Starting Sequences
The Liverpool midfielder was a key creative force, starting 13 sequences leading to goals – six more than any other Premier League player. He also ranked second for sequences leading to shots (49).
Robert Lewandowski – 24 Non-Penalty Goals
Lewandowski defied his age by netting 24 non-penalty goals, the most in Europe alongside Mbappé. He also posted La Liga’s second-best minutes-per-goal ratio with one every 93.5 minutes.
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Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 3 Major Trophies
Kvaratskhelia enjoyed a trophy-laden campaign, winning Serie A with Napoli and Ligue 1 with PSG, as well as lifting the Champions League trophy. Few players can boast such a treble of titles in one season.
Harry Kane – 26 Bundesliga Goals
Kane led Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title, his first-ever major trophy. He finished as the league’s top scorer with 26 goals, claiming the Golden Boot for a second consecutive season.
Achraf Hakimi – 108 Open-Play Chances Created
Hakimi was Europe’s most creative defender, producing 108 open-play chances across all competitions. Only Raphinha created more chances among all players in the top five leagues.
Erling Haaland – 34 Goals in 48 Games
Haaland remained Manchester City’s goal machine, scoring 34 goals in 48 appearances – more than any other Premier League player. He also had the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the league at 119.
Viktor Gyökeres – 54 Goals in 52 Games
Gyökeres delivered a phenomenal return of 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting CP, including 39 in the league – the highest since Mário Jardel in 2001-02. His form earned him a summer move to Arsenal.
Serhou Guirassy – 13 UCL Goals
Guirassy was lethal in front of goal, netting 13 times in 14 Champions League appearances. His 32% shot conversion rate set a new record for Borussia Dortmund in a single European campaign.
Denzel Dumfries – 11 Goals as a Defender
Dumfries redefined attacking full-back play, scoring 11 goals – the most by any defender in Europe’s top leagues. He contributed two goals and three assists in Inter’s UCL semi-final win over Barcelona.
Désiré Doué – 30 Goal Involvements
At just 20, Doué was pivotal in PSG’s historic treble, recording 16 goals and 14 assists. Only Lamine Yamal had more goal involvements among players under 21.
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 34% Clean Sheet Rate
Donnarumma stood tall for PSG, keeping a clean sheet in over a third of his appearances. He also saved 71% of shots faced as PSG won both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
Ousmane Dembélé – 49 Goal Involvements
Dembélé had his best-ever season, with 49 goal involvements in 53 games. Fourteen of those came in the Champions League, helping PSG secure their first UCL title.
Jude Bellingham – 15 Goals & 14 Assists
Bellingham’s all-action displays produced 15 goals and 14 assists for Real Madrid. He also ranked third in La Liga for open-play chances created with 97.
