The Ballon d’Or 2025 nominations are out today, along with the 30-man shortlist for the most coveted award of the night: the men’s Ballon d’Or.
Some expected names like Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembélé, Raphinha, Cole Palmer, and Mohamed Salah all appear on the list.
While most players on the list deserve their nominations, here are five who arguably do not, and why.
Declan Rice
Apart from Declan Rice’s two spectacular free kicks for Arsenal against Real Madrid last season, the English midfielder delivered few memorable moments. PSG exposed Declan Rice’s weaknesses in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
He conceded a free kick that directly led to a PSG goal in the second leg of Arsenal’s tie against the French club. In the league, Rice also had a forgettable year, as he did not inspire the Gunners to a genuine title challenge.
Denzel Dumfries
Denzel Dumfries delivered a brilliant performance against Barcelona, but that was it. The Dutchman played in an Inter Milan defence that lost 5-0 in the Champions League final.
They also lost the league title to Napoli in the closing weeks of the season. Dumfries lacks the achievements to warrant inclusion on this list.
Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz does not deserve a Ballon d’or 2025 nomination for his 2024/25 campaign.
He failed to inspire Leverkusen to any meaningful success, either domestically or in Europe. Bayern Munich dispatched his team 5-0 on aggregate in the Champions League round of 16, and they fell short in the league.
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland showed the world last season that he cannot inspire a team that fails to create chances for him. During Manchester City’s slump, when they fell out of the title race, Haaland disappeared.
He also failed to help City in the Champions League, as Real Madrid knocked them out. He should not appear on this list. Alexander Isak deserved the spot for inspiring Newcastle to their first trophy in over 55 years.
Jude Bellingham
Some Real Madrid fans might disagree, but Bellingham was far from his best last season.
Maybe it was due to his shoulder injury, but he was average for a long patch of the 2024/25 campaign and should not be on this year’s Ballon d’or 2025 list.
