Since 1956, the Ballon d'Or has been a prize steeped in prestige.
But it's not without its fair share of controversy, either. Over the years, plenty have taken exception to the voting of the prize – not least Real Madrid, who cancelled their delegation last year upon learning that Vinicius wasn't winning the award.
So with the 2025 full standings revealed, have France Football delivered another dud?
One Ballon d'Or winner was extremely questionable
The voting criteria for the Ballon d'Or is murky: is Vitinha really the third-best footballer on the planet right now ahead of Mohamed Salah… or does Cole Palmer deserve to be voted eighth after so few non-penalty goals in 2025?
Social media was rife with opinions on the men's top 10, though Ousmane Dembele was considered by most to be a fair winner. But the women's vote?
Aitana Bonmati won her third Ballon d'Or in a row – yes, you could argue her to be the most talented women's footballer ever… but compare her season to previous campaigns.
The Spaniard lost the Women's Champions League final to Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo, whom she shared a podium with: she then lost a Euros final to Russo, who netted in the final, with Bonmati missing a penalty in the shootout.
Russo enjoyed the season of her life as FWA Women's Footballer of the Year and the WSL Golden Boot winner, winning both major trophies this term; Caldentey, meanwhile, moved leagues to arguably become the best player in England – in a much harder league – and inspire her club to European glory.
There's no doubting Bonmati's talent, but in an underwhelming season, she perhaps wasn't even Barcelona's key player or Spain's in their runs to finals.
Perhaps the midfielder won the award for her talent alone – which is understandable – or her Best Player award at Euro 2025: or perhaps the fact that England played so badly on their way to Euros glory (while Arsenal weren't exactly dominant as European champions) has left Bonmati as the obvious pick.
But given that the Ballon d'Or has established itself as a prize that takes team wins into account, it felt odd for Bonmati's montage to include clips of her crying after losing finals last night… was it really the right call?
