2025 Golden Globes Fight! Dembele leads the lead, 17-year-old Yamal sets a record attack

If you think that the Golden Globes no longer have the ability to make headlines after the end of Messi and Ronaldo's rule, please revisit the status quo. After the most stalemate election in recent years, Rodri finally won the championship in 2024, beating Vinicius, while Real Madrid collectively missed the Paris Awards Ceremony in a dramatic way to protest the missed appearance of his own stars.

It is regrettable that Rodri will be destined to miss the defending journey of the 2025 Golden Globes. The Manchester City suffered a serious knee injury that directly ended the season in September. Therefore, the door to the highest personal honor in football has been opened to many players, and as major European leagues enter the final stage, the battle for the Golden Ball is continuing to heat up.

The 2024-25 season no longer contains international competition elements as in the first two seasons, which means that the ownership of the Golden Globe Award will be entirely determined by performance at the club level. This adjustment of the evaluation criteria has given players with mediocre national teams but excellent clubs have gained unprecedented opportunities. At the same time, the reorganized new Club World Cup event will also become an important consideration.

So, who is the leader in this most prestigious individual award in football? The answers will be revealed to you through the Golden Globes real-time strength rankings, so let us examine the current competitive landscape together.

10.Lewandow (Barcelona)

2024-25 season data: 42 goals, 5 assists. Newly added to the Honor Book: Copa del Rey and Super Cup of Spain.

When Lewandowski accidentally lost the list of candidates for the Golden Globe Awards in 2024, it is generally believed that the Polish god's frontman's long and futile golden ball pursuit has come to an end. However, after reuniting with former Bayern Munich coach Flick in Barcelona, ​​the 36-year-old veteran miraculously rejuvenated for a second spring and once again ranked among the top European centers.

Although the traces of time are looming in some games, and even though more ornamental new stars emerge in the team, let alone the talented attackers in the competitors' team, Lewandowski still returns to the Golden Ball discussion with its stable output. However, all possibilities disappeared after the Champions League semi-finals where the Camp Nou giant lost to Inter Milan at an epic defeat. The hamstring injury made him play only a marginal role in the series, completely destroying the Poles' last hope of winning the golden ball for the first time.

9. Lautaro (Inter Milan)

2024-25 season data: 25 goals, 8 assists.

Just half a month ago, Inter Milan still maintained a strong momentum in the third-tier championship: the Champions League and the Italian Cup both entered the semi-finals, and ranked first in the league standings. However, the sudden three-game losing streak caused the Nerazzurri to be qualified for the Italian Cup (eliminated by archenemy AC Milan), and the top spot in Serie A was also taken away by Naples.

At this crisis, Lautaro urgently needs to lead the team out of the trough as a leader to avoid the embarrassment of losing the season. However, the dark clouds of being forced to retreat when playing against Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals once made the outside world worried that it would be reimbursed in advance for the season. It is amazing that the Argentine striker returned from the front line after only six days of quit and played a key player in Inter Milan's second Champions League final in three years, which means Lautaro is still expected to add another heavy trophy to his honor room before the end of the season.

8. Mbappe (Real Madrid)

2024-25 season data: 36 goals, 5 assists. Newly added to the Honor Book: European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup.

Although Mbappe's Real Madrid career started but failed to meet expectations from his personal and fans, the French superstar still contributed goals that match his value. The shocking hat-trick against Manchester City in February is regarded as a signature moment when it officially crowned at the Bernabeu.

However, as the season comes to an end, Mbappe and Real Madrid have suffered a disastrous collapse: the defending champion was disgraced by Arsenal in the Champions League, lost to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final (although Mbappe's personal performance is remarkable), and the initiative in La Liga's championship is also in danger because the national derby was widened by the score gap. For Mbappe, who lacks a golden ball in the honor room, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reach the top, but the subsequent failures undoubtedly cast a heavy shadow on his hope of realizing his dreams in 2025.

7. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

2024-25 season data: 41 goals, 12 assists. Newly added to the Honor Book: Bundesliga salad plate.

Historical moment finally comes: Harry Kane ends the championship drought! Although he is 31 this summer, the English captain once again proves that his killer instinct has not faded at all. He leads Bayern Munich to regain the Bundesliga hegemony with phenomenal performance, and tastes the taste of a championship for the first time in his career.

Rodri's award-winning case has shown that the goal-scoring data alone is no longer enough to ensure the crown of the Golden Ball, but Kane's all-round center traits deserve to win the favor of the judges, which is still true even if Bayern lost to Inter Milan in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

6. Pedri (Barcelona)

2024-25 season data: 6 goals, 8 assists. Newly added to the Honor Book: Copa del Rey and Super Cup of Spain.

Although the basic data is not dazzling, all observers who have witnessed Barcelona's journey this season are impressed by Pedri's master-level midfield control under Frick. After getting rid of the injury curse that has plagued many years, the Spanish Golden Boy finally fulfilled his extraordinary talent in his early wisdom. The dominant performance in the Cup del Rey final made the "world's number one midfielder" endlessly.

Camp Nou's Champions League semi-finals may have set a ceiling for Pedri's final ranking, but no one will doubt that this genius will eventually win the Golden Ball Award at some point in the future.

5. Salah (Liverpool)

2024-25 season data: 36 goals, 24 assists. Newly added to the Honor Book: Premier League Championship Trophy.

With the renewal of the two-year contract with Liverpool, speculation about the future of "Egyptian Pharaoh" has finally subsided, and the rationality of this new contract is unquestionable. Under Arne Slott's new system, Salah not only regained his peak state, but also led the Reds to the Premier League with an overwhelming advantage with a phenomenal performance.

However, the superstar, who has long led the odds in the Golden Ball, encountered a reputation crisis due to a double blow: Liverpool's surprise stop at the Champions League quarterfinals and his disastrous stealth performance against Newcastle in the League Cup final. Although Salah is still expected to become the first African Golden Ball winner since 1995, the probability of his winning streak in 2025 has dropped significantly.

4. Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)

2024-25 season data: 12 games of zero. Newly added to the Honor Book: Ligue 1 Champions League, French Super Cup.

Although it has been more than a century since Lev Yasin became the first (and only) Golden Goalkeeper, the world's top goalkeeper has always been able to occupy a place in the Golden Goal shortlist. Donnarumma in 2025 stood out from many peers with his god-level performance in the Champions League knockout stage.

On the night of Anfield, he transformed into a hero in front of the 12-yard line, helping Paris kill Liverpool; facing Aston Villa's crazy counterattack in the second round, his several century saves killed the hope of reversal; in the two-round match against Arsenal, Italy's goal continued to contribute textbook performances. If Paris finally achieves the three-time champion, the role of this goal-line giant cannot be overstated.

3. Rafinia (Barcelona)

2024-25 season data: 37 goals, 25 assists. Newly added to the Honor Book: Copa del Rey and Super Cup of Spain.

Although there are endless doubts at the beginning of the season, facts are better than words: Rafinia has become the most decisive existence in Barcelona's forward trident, and the cold data is the most powerful proof. If it weren't for the failed bid for Nico Williams last summer, the former Leeds United Flying Wings might have been cleaned, but the Brazilian made the most powerful counterattack with his explosive performance, leading the Red and Blues to infinitely approach the domestic triple crown.

There is no doubt that Lafinia is experiencing the most glorious chapter of her career, but the failure of the Champions League semi-finals casts a faint haze on her prospects.

2.Yamar (Barcelona)

2024-25 season data: 16 goals, 25 assists. Newly added to the Honor Book: Copa del Rey and Super Cup of Spain.

The Golden Ball Awards have not won before the age of 21 in the nearly 70 years of history, but judging from the momentum Yamal has shown, it is only a matter of time before this record is broken. After all, this Barcelona prodigy has only three full seasons to achieve this feat! There is no more exciting existence in football today than this 17-year-old genius, and the continued highlights of the 2024-25 season prove that his evolution is far from reaching the ceiling.

Although the number of goals has been surpassed by two teammates, countless La Liga observers insist that Yamal is the most dominant offensive core of the Iberian Peninsula this season. With a god-level performance in the Champions League (his new heights in the semi-finals against Inter Milan), he has become the most competitive Golden Ball candidate in Barcelona.

1. Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain)

2024-25 season data: 35 goals, 12 assists. Newly added to the Honor Book: Ligue 1 Champions League, French Super Cup.

The real Dembele finally awakened? ! Since Dortmund's sky-high transfer to Barcelona, ​​the French Magic Wing has brought far more disappointment than surprises to fans, although his outstanding talent is recognized worldwide. Now, in Paris' second season, Dembele has finally achieved a qualitative leap. While consolidating Paris Saint-Germain's hegemony with phenomenal performance, it has also become the core engine for the team to reach the Champions League throne.

The key goal at Anfield and Emirates Stadium helped Paris to win three Premier League powerhouses, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal. Before everyone could notice it, the brand-new Paris created by Enrique has shown the strongest combat power in Europe, and Dembele, who soars on the front line, is the pioneer of this Galaxy battleship.