The Ballon d’Or never fails to create controversy. Rather amusingly, Real Madrid even refused to turn up for last year’s ceremony after being upset by the just decision to give the prize to Rodri over Vinicius Jr.
The award is, by its very nature, contradictory, in that it champions individualism in a team sport, while the inherently subjective nature of the voting is always bound to provoke a backlash. Ballon d’Or recognition has become a very important marketing tool in the modern game, though, so whenever a player is the victim of a perceived snub, it generates a lot of headlines.
So, which stars will be reeling after being left off the list of nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or – and its plethora of other prizes? BALLGM runs through the most notable oversights below…
The Ballon d’Or never fails to create controversy. Rather amusingly, Real Madrid even refused to turn up for last year’s ceremony after being upset by the just decision to give the prize to Rodri over Vinicius Jr.
The award is, by its very nature, contradictory, in that it champions individualism in a team sport, while the inherently subjective nature of the voting is always bound to provoke a backlash. Ballon d’Or recognition has become a very important marketing tool in the modern game, though, so whenever a player is the victim of a perceived snub, it generates a lot of headlines.
So, which stars will be reeling after being left off the list of nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or – and its plethora of other prizes? بالجم runs through the most notable oversights below…
Spare a thought for Bradley Barcola right now. The فرنسا international was one of the key players in Paris Saint-Germain’s treble triumph – yet everyone seems to have forgotten that fact.
There’s no denying that the winger had a slight dip in form towards the tail end of the season – but he hardly went AWOL for months on end like Cole Palmer. Nor did he miss a significant chunk of the campaign through injury, like Erling Haaland.
Barcola actually continued to contribute to PSG’s success, scoring twice in the Coupe de France final win over Reims to take his overall tally to 21 goals in all competitions. It’s also well worth remembering that the winger finished with more assists (18) than any other PSG player.
However, after missing out on inclusion in Luis Enrique’s starting line-up for the Champions League final, Barcola has also missed out on a Ballon d’Or nomination – despite being directly involved in as many goals as Lamine Yamal last season (39 apiece).
Nine players from PSG’s starting line-up for the Champions League final annihilation of انتر have been nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or – and that’s perfectly fair. The only question, in fact, is why were Willian Pacho and Marquinhos overlooked?
Pacho was absolutely sensational during his first season at Parc des Princes – at the back, in the air and on the ball. It’s bizarre, then, to see players like Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham nominated ahead of the Ecuadorian colossus – despite winning nothing of note and having poor seasons by their high standards.
Marquinhos’ omission is even more ludicrous. Few PSG players were more deserving of a Champions League medal than the Brazilian centre-back, who arrived at Parc des Princes in 2013 and thus endured the Parisians’ most spectacular capitulations. The lessons he learned during those devastating defeats played a pivotal part in Marquinhos finally leading PSG to the promised land – along with his disciplined defending and excellent distribution (no defender completed more passes in last season’s Champions League).
It’s, therefore, astounding that the classy captain of a history-making, treble-winning team has not got the recognition his contribution not only deserved – but demanded.
Alexander Isak has clearly been punished for not playing any Champions League football last season – because there’s no other possible reason for his exclusion from the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
ال السويد striker scored more Premier League goals than Haaland, who has been nominated, while he also fired Newcastle to a first domestic trophy for 70 years with crucial goals in the Carabao Cup against Chelsea, أرسنال and, most importantly of all, ليفربول – who are now desperately trying to sign Isak for a British-record fee.
The 25-year-old’s exact worth is a current topic of much debate, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone willing to dispute the 25-year-old’s status as one of the best centre-forwards in the world right now, making his Ballon d’Or snub genuinely mystifying.
Eight male players were directly involved in 40 or more goals in all competitions across Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues last season. Only one of them didn’t earn a Ballon d’Or nod: Omar Marmoush.
The multi-talented Egyptian attacker tore up the الدوري الألماني during the first half of the 2024-25 season, netting 15 times in just 17 outings for Eintracht Frankfurt, while also weighing in with seven assists. His sensational form earned him a big-money move to the Etihad Stadium, where he netted a hat-trick in just his third Premier League appearance.
Marmoush was the only signing Manchester City made during January to make an instant impact on Pep Guardiola’s squad and, in truth, one of the few positives of an otherwise negative campaign. So, why on earth has Haaland been nominated for the Ballon d’Or after a stop-start season, while Marmoush has been left off the list despite producing the season of his career?!
Keira Walsh has never been nominated for the Ballon d’Or. Let that fact sink in for a moment. Keira Walsh, who has won two European Championship titles with her country, played in a كأس العالم final and racked up 21 major honours at club level with Manchester City, Barcelona and now Chelsea, including two Champions League crowns, has never been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
That remains true after the nominees for this year’s Golden Ball were revealed on Thursday and the midfielder was, once again, missing. Having helped Chelsea win a domestic treble this past season, after arriving from Barca in January, and then standing out as one of England’s steadier performers in their Euro 2025 triumph, it’s a fact many might have expected to change this year. But Walsh will have to continue to wait for her well-deserved recognition when it comes to this particular award.
There were few more impressive performers in Chelsea’s treble-winning side this past season than Millie Bright. The Blues’ skipper stood tall in the heart of defence as her team went unbeaten in domestic competition, winning the Women’s Super League, FA Cup and League Cup without losing a game. Yet, she has not received the recognition for those performances that she deserves.
After not even making the WSL’s nine-player shortlist for its Player of the Year award, Bright has now failed to make the 30-player shortlist of Ballon d’Or nominees. It’s understandable to an extent as she did withdraw from selection for Euro 2025, dropping even more out of the thinking as the likes of Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly grabbed the headlines for England instead. However, it is a shame that such a terrific year – one of the very best in her career, in terms of the level she produced – will go unrewarded.
It’s hard to find any fault with any of the 10 male players nominated for the Kopa Trophy. Each and every one of them is a top young talent. But then, so too is Franco Mastantuono, who is entitled to feel a little hard done by after failing to make the cut.
After all, few Under-21s have had a better 2025 than the 17-year-old attacking midfielder, who became Argentina’s youngest-ever debutant on June 5. Just eight days later, Real Madrid confirmed that they had agreed to activate the €45 million release clause in his River Plate contract.
It’s, therefore, a surprise to see him overlooked by Ballon d’Or voters, but Mastantuono’s time will definitely come. As Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni says, “Franco has a bright future ahead of him.”
It’s fair to say that the jury is still out to some degree on Pere Romeu, the 31-year-old who has just completed his first season in charge of Barcelona. However, that is partly down to the high standards that have been set in Catalunya in recent years, with Barca dominating the Spanish women’s game while being a near ever-present in Champions League finals, of which they have won three of the last five.
Romeu still won a domestic treble last season, guiding his side to glory in Liga F, the Copa de la Reina and the Supercopa de Espana, and oversaw another UWCL final run, with Chelsea beaten by a remarkable 8-2 aggregate scoreline in the semi-finals. He might not have been able to help Barca over the line in Lisbon, as Arsenal emerged 1-0 winners in the big finale, but Romeu can absolutely consider himself unlucky not to be up for the Women’s Coach of the Year award given what his side achieved in the 2024-25 campaign.
