Football this year has produced more surprises and upsets, where the stars of one team have performed below their expectations, and the others have just impressed. Every year, new players play for them, being ranked among the top 20 Football stars, the same has happened in 2025.
The surprise player has to be FC Barcelona’s Raphinha. We should surely not rule out his teammates Lewandowski and Yamal as well. Paris Saint-Germain has to be another team, as from January, Dembele has turned into a beast in all the competitions.
More Stuff:
Ranked Top 20 Football Stars in 2025
Rank | Player | Club | Country | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Raphinha | Barcelona | Brazil | Forward |
2 | Ousmane Dembélé | Paris Saint-Germain | France | Forward |
3 | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | Spain | Forward |
4 | Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | Poland | Forward |
5 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Egypt | Forward |
6 | Pedri | Barcelona | Spain | Midfield |
7 | Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid | France | Forward |
8 | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | England | Forward |
9 | Lautaro Martínez | Inter Milan | Argentina | Forward |
10 | Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | England | Midfield |
11 | Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid | Brazil | Forward |
12 | Vitinha | Paris Saint-Germain | Portugal | Midfield |
13 | Michael Olise | Bayern Munich | France | Forward |
14 | Declan Rice | Arsenal | England | Midfield |
15 | Julián Álvarez | Atlético Madrid | Argentina | Forward |
16 | Alexander Isak | Newcastle United | Sweden | Forward |
17 | Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich | Germany | Midfield |
18 | Désiré Doué | Paris Saint-Germain | France | Midfield |
19 | Viktor Gyökeres | Sporting CP | Sweden | Forward |
20 | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | Netherlands | Defender |
Deep Dive: Ranked Top 10 Football Stars in 2025
1. Raphinha (Barcelona)
The FC Barcelona is the most likely player to win the Ballon d’Or this season. He has scored more than 30 goals and delivered 22 assists, and the numbers are still counting.
Full Name | Raphael Dias Belloli |
Date of Birth | December 14, 1996 |
Place of Birth | Porto Alegre, Brazil |
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Position | Forward/Winger |
Current Club | FC Barcelona |
Club Jersey Number | 11 |
International Career | Brazil National Team (since 2021) |

2. Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain)
Dembele is unstoppable at this moment. His team is qualified for the Champions League semi-final and his goals tally has reached 33 goals so far.
Full Name | Masour Ousmane Dembélé |
Date of Birth | May 15, 1997 |
Place of Birth | Vernon, France |
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Position | Winger |
Current Club | Paris Saint-Germain |
Club Jersey Number | 10 |
International Career | France National Team (since 2016) |

3. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
He is just 17 years old, and his impact on FC Barcelona’s team is commendable. No player has won the Ballon d’Or before the age of 21 in a long time. Yamal still has a lot of years to achieve this.
Full Name | Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana |
Date of Birth | July 13, 2007 |
Place of Birth | Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain |
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
Position | Winger |
Current Club | FC Barcelona |
Club Jersey Number | 19 |
International Career | Spain National Team (since 2023) |

4. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
The 36-year-old Polish striker has scored 40 goals this season and is still going strong. Hansi Flick has brought a new version of Lewandowski to the world.
Full Name | Robert Lewandowski |
Date of Birth | August 21, 1988 |
Place of Birth | Warsaw, Poland |
Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
Position | Striker |
Current Club | FC Barcelona |
Club Jersey Number | 9 |
International Career | Poland National Team (since 2008) |

5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Salah has been consistent in performing for Liverpool over the past years. He has recently signed a new deal with the club. Liverpool is most likely to win the Premier League, and Salah’s impact is one of the reasons.
Full Name | Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly |
Date of Birth | June 15, 1992 |
Place of Birth | Nagrig, Basyoun, Egypt |
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Position | Right Winger/Forward |
Current Club | Liverpool |
Club Jersey Number | 11 |
International Career | Egypt National Team (since 2011) |

6. Pedri (Barcelona)
Especially what Pedri is doing for FC Barcelona is just unmatchable. His goals and assists may not be as many as others’, but his game-controlling skills are just phenomenal.
Full Name | Pedro González López |
Date of Birth | November 25, 2002 |
Place of Birth | Bajamar, Tenerife, Spain |
Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Position | Central Midfielder |
Current Club | FC Barcelona |
Club Jersey Number | 8 |
International Career | Spain National Team (since 2020) |

7. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
The start of the season was not what he expected it to be, but recently, he has become the most threatening player of Real Madrid. After the exit from the Champions League, he still waits for his first.
Full Name | Kylian Mbappé Lottin |
Date of Birth | December 20, 1998 |
Place of Birth | Paris, France |
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Position | Forward |
Current Club | Real Madrid |
Club Jersey Number | 9 |
International Career | France National Team (since 2017) |

8. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
This can be the year when Harry Kane wins his first trophy, as Bayern are most likely to win the Bundesliga. His goals tally has reached 39 so far.
Full Name | Harry Edward Kane |
Date of Birth | July 28, 1993 |
Place of Birth | Walthamstow, London, England |
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
Position | Striker |
Current Club | Bayern Munich |
Club Jersey Number | 9 |
International Career | England National Team (since 2015) |

9. Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
Martinez, the Inter captain, has helped his team reach the semi-final of the Champions League. If Inter wins the Champions League, he is the favourite to lift the Ballon d’Or.
Full Name | Lautaro Javier Martínez |
Date of Birth | August 22, 1997 |
Place of Birth | Bahía Blanca, Argentina |
Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Position | Striker |
Current Club | Inter Milan |
Club Jersey Number | 10 |
International Career | Argentina National Team (since 2018) |

10. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
After the arrival of Mbappe, his role in the team has changed. This season, Bellingham has played as a box-to-box midfielder for Real Madrid.
Full Name | Jude Victor William Bellingham |
Date of Birth | June 29, 2003 |
Place of Birth | Stourbridge, England |
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) |
Position | Midfielder |
Current Club | Real Madrid |
Club Jersey Number | 5 |
International Career | England National Team (since 2020) |
