The 2025 <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/ballon-dor/">Ballon d’Or</a> ceremony will take place on September 22 at Paris’ Théâtre du Châtelet, with anticipation building as several contenders look to win the award for the first time. Ahead of the gala, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/france-football/">France Football</a>’s editor-in-chief has laid out the criteria that will determine the winner.



In an interview with Téléfoot, France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia explained how the decision is made: “I am the only person who knows the winner of the Ballon d’Or. The criteria for winning this award are: individual performance, decisive and impressive moments, titles won, as well as fair play and behavior on and off the pitch.”



In recent years, winning major trophies such as the UEFA Champions League has often tipped the balance in Ballon d’Or voting. But last year, when Rodri beat out Vinícius Júnior despite Real Madrid’s UCL triumph, the criteria drew heavy debate among fans.



Garcia clarified that beyond statistics and titles, intangibles will play a role. The player’s impact in key moments and conduct on and off the field also matter, a factor that reportedly worked against Vinícius in 2024.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20250922_WST_592213_rodri-ballon-dor-1200x675_aec8de0f.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="After missing nearly the entire 2024-25 season due to injury, Rodri will not be repeating as Ballon d’Or winner in 2025." class="wp-image-592226" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure><figcaption>After missing nearly the entire 2024-25 season due to injury, Rodri will not be repeating as Ballon d’Or winner in 2025.</figcaption></figure>



Garcia also revealed that unlike in previous years, the winner of the 2025 edition will not be informed in advance. Traditionally, the Ballon d’Or recipient was notified before the ceremony. This time, only France Football executives know the outcome.


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<h2>2025 Ballon d’Or: How the voting works?</h2>



France Football released the 30-player shortlist on August 7. From there, the voting is conducted by 100 journalists representing the 100 highest-ranked countries in the FIFA rankings, each applying the criteria Garcia outlined.



Every journalist selects five players, assigning points on a 6-4-3-2-1 scale. The player with the highest total wins. In the case of a tie, the count of first-place votes determines the winner, followed by second-place votes, and so on until the deadlock is broken.



<h2>2025 Ballon d’Or top contenders</h2>



The 2024-25 season has produced several breakout stars who now find themselves in contention. FC Barcelona’s Raphinha and Lamine Yamal led their club to a dominant campaign in Spain and a Champions League semifinal run. Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembélé has emerged as one of the favorites after topping the charts for goal contributions with Paris Saint-Germain, who went on to lift the European trophy.

What are the 2025 Ballon d’Or criteria? France Football’s editor-in-chief explains

What are the 2025 Ballon d’Or criteria? France Football’s editor-in-chief explains - World Soccer Talk

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<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>As expected Lionel Messi succeeded Cristiano Ronaldo as the winner of the Ballon d’Or award. The Barcelona star comfortably won the prize but he&nbsp;admitted&nbsp;his&nbsp;surprise at the margin of victory as he received 240 points more than Cristiano Ronaldo who finished second.
Messi&nbsp;was quite close to winning all 480 points &nbsp;possible as he finished with a near perfect 473 points while Real Madrid’s Ronaldo got 233 points which is less than half of Messi’s total! There is no doubt the Argentinian deserved to win since he was one of the main driving forces behind Barca’s treble winning season. He led all scorers in the Champions League with nine goals and scored in the final triumph against none other than Ronaldo’s Manchester United. The Catalan club’s star also scored 23 times in la Liga and was on the score sheet six times in the Copa del Rey.
The goals scored by Messi do not tell the whole story since his contributions transcend beyond the occasions he found the back of the net to include the assists he provided his fellow Barca players&nbsp;with. Messi’s assists&nbsp;totalled 18 in all competitions. The top spots on the list were dominated by Barca players which is also not surprising considering the influence of the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta as well as current Inter striker Samuel Eto’o.
Messi mentioned to France Football he is honoured to win the award and dedicated it to his family. He also said he was delighted to become the first Argentina to win the Ballon d’Or. Given the performances of Messi the past year, it is near impossible to find any other player more deserving of the individual award. It will not be a shock if Messi repeats next year, but his chances&nbsp;will be hindered if&nbsp;his country continues to struggle&nbsp; under Maradona’s leadership and fails to impress in South Africa 2010. Despite the concerns over Argentina and Maradona, who can bet against Messi repeating as the award winner?
<a href="http:\/\/answers.polldaddy.com/poll/2324441/">Who Will Win The Ballon d’Or Next Year?</a>(<a href="http:\/\/www.polldaddy.com">polls</a>)

Messi Wins Ballon d'Or - World Soccer Talk

Messi Wins Ballon d'Or

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