The Best Players in World Soccer Not Nominated for 2025 Ballon d’Or

France Football have confirmed the 30 potential victors of the 2025 Ballon d’Or, and they haven’t been afraid to leave out some of the game’s biggest names.

Seven of Paris Saint-Germain’s starting XI from the Champions League final have made the cut, while standout performers from the dominant Barcelona and Liverpool teams of 2024–25 feature heavily, too. Scott McTominay’s captivating campaign in Naples hasn’t gone unnoticed either.

However, the seasons of some have seemingly slipped through the net. While France Football were never going to satisfy everyone, a few nominations have raised an eyebrow, and several players will doubtless feel as if they’ve been overlooked.

Here are some of world’s best players who didn’t receive a 2025 Ballon d’Or nomination.

Rodri

The majority expected a Vinicus Junior triumph at least year’s ceremony, but it was Manchester City lynchpin Rodri who earned his first Ballon d’Or instead. Some would suggest the Brazilian hasn’t been the same since.

Rodri was cruelly denied the chance to retain the prize in 2025 because of a devastating knee injury he sustained last September. The Spaniard missed pretty much the entirety of the 2024–25 campaign, but did make his return for the Cityzens at the Club World Cup this summer.

His prolonged absence means France Football had little choice but to exclude the holder of the esteemed award, even if he remains the world’s best holding midfielder.

Bukayo Saka

After back-to-back nominations, Saka has missed out this time around.

The Arsenal winger, who finished 21st in voting last year, looked well on course to break the single-season Premier League assist record, but, like Rodri, his 2024–25 campaign was compromised by injury. Saka was out for three months after tearing his hamstring just before Christmas.

Saka returned in April, scoring at the Santiago Bernabéu and the Parc des Princes, but didn’t quite look the same. Had Arsenal gone on to triumph in Europe, the England international surely would’ve been among the 30 nominees, but their Champions League campaign was brought to an end by PSG in the semifinals.

Jamal Musiala

Bayern Munich’s master dribbler has been tipped for Ballon d’Or glory one day, but Musiala won’t be getting his hands on the prize in 2025, and a significant leg injury means his 2026 pursuit has already been stunted.

The German international endured a rather frustrating 2024–25 campaign, with niggling fitness issues preventing him from developing an irresistible groove. He played just 25 times in the Bundesliga but did feature heavily in Bayern’s Champions League campaign.

This was another good but not outstanding season for Musiala, who was a Ballon d’Or nominee in 2023 off the back of a 25-goal contribution Bundesliga campaign.

Lionel Messi

Messi may be out of the European spotlight, but his work at the Club World Cup this summer shows that he can still hang with the world’s best.

The Argentine claimed his most recent Ballon d’Or in 2023, having already made the move to Inter Miami, but it was his work at the 2022 World Cup which catapulted him to glory. In the absence of a major international tournament this cycle, Messi’s efforts haven’t been recognised.

The all-time great notched 20 MLS goal contributions in 19 games last year, and has 18 goals in as many games in 2025. He’s been dominant in the United States, but France Football clearly don’t buy MLS’s quality.

Alessandro Bastoni

Champions League finalists Inter are represented in the 30 nominees via Lautaro Martínez and Denzel Dumfries, but the absence of Bastoni is a big surprise.

The elegant Italian defender is ever so easy on the eye, and he played a huge role in the Nerazzurri’s rise to the biggest game in club football on the left side of Simone Inzaghi’s defence.

This is an award that’s historically been dominated by the attackers, with Fabio Cannavaro and Franz Beckenbauer the only two centre backs to get their hands on the prize. Bastoni was never going to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or but his performances in Europe should’ve earned him a nomination.

Virgil van Dijk is the only shortlisted centre back.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Only Messi has more Ballons d’Or to his name than Ronaldo, who recently claimed the award is “fictional” to him now.

Ronaldo, like his great contemporary rival, has been snubbed for a second consecutive year. The 40-year-old defier of Father Time remains in admirable physical condition, but few have taken notice of his prolific work in the Saudi Pro League.

He topped the scoring charts again in 2024–25, but only a successful major tournament campaign with the national team will see Ronaldo return to Ballon d’Or consideration.

Alexander Isak

The Sweden international has emerged as the protagonist of the summer transfer window, with the free-spending Liverpool aiming to secure a record-breaking deal after Isak told Newcastle United he wants to leave St. James’S Park.

The Magpies’ valuation is said to be £150 million ($201.7 million), and they have every right to demand such a huge fee. Isak was arguably Europe’s best-performing striker last season.

23 Premier League goals, however, were not enough to earn a Ballon d’Or nomination, with his absence from the big European stage hindering the forward’s hopes.

Julián Alvarez

Atlético Madrid have rarely had joy with their big-money purchases, and there may have been a few fears of history repeating itself with Alvarez, given his start to life in Spain.

However, it didn’t take long for the former Manchester City forward to settle, and he quickly became a hit in the Spanish capital. Alvarez was close to a constant in Diego Simeone’s starting XI, typically partnering Antoine Griezmann in a mightily gifted two-pronged attack.

The Argentine international finished his debut season with 17 La Liga goals, and another seven strikes in the Champions League. It was an excellent campaign, but Atléti’s lack of collective success has worked against Alvarez in Ballon d’Or consideration.