Kane, Mbappe, Yamal and Messi Compete for the 2025 Ballon d'Or

The eyes of world football will be on London on Monday. The question that has been debated for months will finally be answered: who will win the Ballon d'Or? In the past, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo determined the owners of this award, but this year none of the usual indicators seem to apply in the men's category.

Among the candidates are names such as Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi. Traditionally, the best player of the team that wins the biggest trophy comes close to this award. For this reason, Rodri, who brought the World Cup and the Nations League to Spain, is one of the first names that come to mind. However, it is difficult to call the midfielder, who has been trying to regain his form after an ACL injury throughout the season, a clear favorite.

Vitinha, from the PSG squad that won the Champions League, is also keeping his chances alive. Still, Bayern Munich captain and England striker Harry Kane is the name that stands out as the favorite. Kane has consistently proven himself as the top scorer of his generation.

In the women's category, there is no clear candidate either. However, considering past trends, Alexia Putellas can be considered the favorite. It is known that the voting panel tends to choose a player from the Barcelona squad that won the Women's Champions League. Aitana Bonmati, who has won the award three times, is out of the race after breaking her leg last season. Putellas, on the other hand, played an important role in Europe with eight goals and six assists and transferred to London City Lionesses in the summer.

The list of candidates includes 30 players. From the NWSL, Temwa Chawinga and Rose Lavelle are also notable names. Chawinga was named league MVP for the second consecutive time with Kansas City Current. Lavelle scored the winning goal for Gotham FC in last year's NWSL Championship match.