The ceremony for the 69th edition of the Ballon d’Or, which will be held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on September 22, could be historic for Portugal: for the second time in decades, we had three national players among the 30 nominees for the best player of the season award.
The Portuguese players Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and João Neves, all from Paris Saint Germain (PSG), the team that won almost all the trophies they had to win this year, were among the three dozen nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2025. However, they faced huge competition from the likes of Ousmane Dembélé (absolute favorite, and winner), Lamine Yamal (who came 2nd), Salah (4th) and Raphinha (5th).
Portugal’s golden hopes
Vitinha
Vitinha was the best-placed Portuguese at the bookmakers, with a probability of around 5.88% of winning (source: Aposta Legal), making him one of the top three or four favorites . He took third place on the podium!
A lot of this was due to winning the Champions League, and the Nations League strengthened his candidacy when compared to the most talked-about name to win this year, his PSG colleague Ousmane Dembélé , who has almost twice as many goals and assists as any other nominee.
Nuno Mendes
The next figure is PSG full-back Nuno Mendes, considered one of the top 10 on this list, even though his chances were only 1.59% (source: Aposta Legal), despite having won every possible team title. He came in at exactly 10th place.
João Neves
The “boy” João Neves, who “populates” practically the entire PSG midfield, was further back on this list, with a 0.43% chance of winning, coming in 19th place. However, as he was also one of the biggest favorites for the Kopa Trophy, which highlights the best young player in the world, he came 3rd in this category, behind Désiré Doué (2nd) and Lamine Yamal (1st).
The “expected” winner
Striker Ousmane Dembélé was the big winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or, standing out for his impressive numbers in his team’s attack during the 2024-2025 season, and for the decisive role he played in the titles they won.
Barcelona’s still young player, Lamine Yamal, appears here as one of the main “rivals” to the French player, but the 19% odds certainly won’t be enough.
Don’t miss out! Follow us on Facebook,Instagram and now WhatsApp too!