Cristiano Ronaldo, Victor Osimhen, Others Who Deserve to Be Nominated for Ballon d’Or
- France Football have announced the nominees for all categories for the 2025 Ballon d'Or Award
- Expectedly, Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal lead the 30-man list for the men's award
- There were some notable omissions, which, as usual, have raised concerns from fans on social media
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The 2025 Ballon d'Or 30-man nominees list has sparked debates among the fans on social media after the exclusion of some top stars.
France Football announced the nominees list for the 2025 awards on Thursday, August 7, in the men's and women's categories, while the special awards will be announced during the ceremony.
Source: Getty Images
According to L'Equipe, Paris Saint-Germain have nine players in the list, while world champions Chelsea have only star man Cole Palmer nominated.
Fans have named some players who deserved to be on the list, but were excluded, thus questioning the integrity of the organisers.
Legit.ng looks at the six players who deserve to be on the list, including Cristiano Ronaldo.
Players who deserve Ballon d'Or nomination
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo is a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, and according to Tribuna, he has the most nominations (18) and most points (3,781), even more than Messi. who won the award a record eight times.
Ronaldo's omission this year may have largely gone unnoticed, but a few quarters have raised eyebrows. At 40, he scored 35 goals and provided four assists for Al-Nassr and led Portugal to win the UEFA Nations League.
2. Victor Osimhen
The Super Eagles star, who holds the record for the highest ranking by a Nigerian player with eighth in 2023, has been snubbed in the 30-man nominees for the 2025 award despite a brilliant season with Galatasaray.
Osimhen spent last season on loan in Turkey, scoring 37 goals and providing eight assists to help Galatasaray win the Turkish Super League and Ziraat Cup, and was named the best player.
3. Julian Alvarez
Alvarez left Manchester City in search of regular first-team football last season and teamed up with compatriot Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.
The Argentine forward scored 29 goals and provided four assists to help Atletico finish third in La Liga and reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.
4. Moises Caicedo
Chelsea's midfield general was snubbed from the list after a remarkable season, which culminated in helping the club win the UEFA Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, scoring in the final of the former.
Source: Getty Images
The Ecuadorian’s brilliant season eliminated discussions around his £115 million price tag, which was the topic of debate during his first season at Stamford Bridge.
5. Mateo Retegui
The Italian forward was Serie A's top scorer last season with 25 goals and helped Atalanta to be in the title race until the final weeks of the season. He scored three goals in the Champions League and added nine assists to his tally in all competitions.
Honourable mentions: Enzo Fernández, Federico Valverde, Omar Marmoush, Bruno Fernandes.
Updated Ballon d'Or rankings
Legit.ng analyses the updated Ballon d'Or ranking after France Football announced the 30-man nominees list for the 2025 Golden Ball award.
Ousmane Dembele retains his spot as the favourite and is likely to win the award despite competition from Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal.
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Source: Legit.ng
