Ballon d’Or Féminine Power Rankings 2025: Ranking the Top 10 Contenders

As the curtain draws in and the 2024-25 season comes to an end, fans are wondering who will get their hands on this year’s Ballon d’Or Féminin? Well, the debate over who deserves this prestigious golden ball is heating up as many players have impressed this season with their skills and consistency. Since the inclusion of the Ballon d’Or Féminin in 2018, celebrated excellence and set a benchmark for the world’s elite players. With remarkable performances across domestic leagues, continental competitions, and international tournaments, this year’s race features some of the most exceptional talent the women’s game has ever witnessed.

Barcelona’s dominance in women’s football continues to be reflected in this year’s Ballon d’Or Feminin race as well, with half of the players in the list from the Catalan giants, unbelievable. Right? However, stars from Arsenal, Lyon, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich have also delivered performances worthy of consideration, making this one of the most competitive Ballon d’Or Féminin contests to date. With emerging talents making their mark and getting included in this year’s Ballon d’Or Feminin conversation showcases how much the landscape of women’s football has evolved.

Criteria Behind Ballon d’Or Féminin Ranking 2025

Trophy Won: The primary ranking factor, which we, at Sportsdunia, consider, is these players’ individual brilliance in their teams’ success. Players who have lifted major trophies, whether domestic leagues, cup competitions, continental tournaments, or international honors, carry an advantage in our rankings.

Performance: The second parameter, while compiling this list, was to look at the raw numbers, such as goals and assists, which carry significant weight.

Consistency: The third factor we considered is these players’ consistency to deliver week after week, maintaining high standards through demanding fixture schedules and across multiple competitions.

Impact: When evaluating Ballon d’Or Feminin contenders, performance and impact in season-defining matches often separate the best from the rest.

Ballon d’Or Féminin 24/25 Contenders

10. Pernille Harder (FC Bayern Munich & Denmark)

Pernille Harder has continued to demonstrate this season why she remains one of women’s football’s icons, even though she has entered the later stages of her illustrious career. Harder’s campaign with Bayern Munich showcased her exceptional versatility and instinct in front of goal, with 23 strikes across all competitions alongside nine assists.

Her awareness and movement off the ball consistently create problems for defenders to mark her, while her technical quality allows her to finish chances that few other players would convert. The Danish forward’s intelligence in identifying and exploiting gaps in defense makes her one of the most tactical forwards in the Ballon d’Or Feminin conversation.

9. Millie Bright (Chelsea & England)

Who would have thought that a defender’s name would pop up in a world centered around attacking stars? Millie Bright’s inclusion in the Ballon d’Or Feminin conversation provides welcome recognition for defensive excellence. She enjoyed an impressive season, where she helped her team keep 18 clean sheets while demonstrating remarkable consistency and concentration.

The 31-year-old’s defensive abilities and leadership at the back have elevated her performance to Ballon d’Or Feminin consideration levels. Her distribution has also become a genuine weapon, allowing Chelsea to build attacks from the back with confidence.

8. Patri Guijarro (FC Barcelona & Spain)

What makes Patri Guijarro Ballon d’Or Feminin case particularly compelling is her positional discipline and consistency, knowing when to accelerate play and when to slow the tempo, when to commit to tackles and when to maintain shape. The 26-year-old’s presence in the Ballon d’Or Feminin conversation represents deserved recognition for one of women’s football most complete midfielders.

While more attack-minded players might have more compelling and flashier stats, Guijarro’s understanding of midfield play and her ability to execute complex tactical instructions give her a boost in the power rankings.

7. Melchie Dumornay (Lyon & Haiti)

Melchie Dumornay’s rise continues to surprise everyone. The Haitian-born has established herself as one of the most exciting talents in women’s football. She has racked up 22 goals and helped her team with 8 assists this 2024-25 season. Her acceleration with the ball at her feet makes her nearly impossible to stop, while her improving decision-making in the final third has turned her from a promising prospect into a genuine Ballon d’Or Féminin contender.

But what sets Dumornay apart in the Ballon d’Or Feminin nominees is her fearlessness on the biggest stages, consistently rising to the occasion in Lyon’s most challenging fixtures.

6. Alessia Russo (Arsenal & England)

Alessia Russo is delivering a season filled with remarkable consistency and match-winning contributions for Arsenal. Her 15 goals and 14 assists across all competitions demonstrate her evolution into a complete forward who can also contribute in all phases of attacking play. Her playing style has become praiseworthy, especially her physical strength to shield the ball and bring teammates into play, while her movement in the penalty area consistently helps create space for herself while confusing defenders.

Russo’s capacity to perform in high-pressure situations strengthens her Ballon d’Or Feminine contendership, with crucial goals during London derbies and European tournament nights, where she has showcased big-game temperament.

5. Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal & Spain)

After years of excellence at Barcelona, Mariona Caldentey’s decision to seek a new challenge at Arsenal raised plenty of eyebrows, but her seamless adaptation to English football silenced any doubters. This season, she has scored 19 goals while assisting 14 times across all competitions. Caldentey has brought technical brilliance and tactical sophistication to Arsenal’s attack.

Her vision to find pockets of space between the defensive line makes her nearly impossible to mark, while her first touch and close control allow her to operate efficiently in congested areas. The former Catalan player’s versatility has strengthened her Ballon d’Or Feminin case; she is capable of playing as a winger, attacking midfielder, or even as a false nine.

4. Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona & Poland)

A Few handful of players in the world can match Ewa Pajor’s goalscoring ability, with the Polish striker enjoying her most prolific season of her career. A staggering return of 43 goals across all competitions tells only part of the story, with her 11 assists highlighting a selflessness and creative awareness that complements her predatory instincts.

Pajor’s movement inside the penalty area, her ability to find space where none seems to exist, and time runs to perfection make her a nightmare for even the most organized defenses. Her finishing range covers powerful drives, delicate chips, and instinctive one-touch finishes. Demonstrating a complete striking skill set deserving of Ballon d’Or Feminin recognition.

3. Aitana Bonmati (FC Barcelona & Spain)

Aitana Bonamti, the current Ballon d’Or Feminin holder, and one of the best female footballers in the world, continues to set the standard for midfield brilliance. With another season filled with her unique blend of technical brilliance and competitive intensity. This season, she has amassed 16 goals and created 14 assists in the process of helping Barcelona stay at the top of Liga F and reaching the UEFA Champions League (W) final.

The 27-year-old’s passing range includes everything from simple passes to exceptional through balls, making her the creative center of Barcelona’s attack. Her performance in the recent Spanish Super Cup victory showed all aspects of her game. Bonmati’s ability to dictate the tempo of the game, providing defensive coverage from time to time, and delivering decisive contributions in the final third make her a frontrunner to retain her crown.

2. Caroline Graham Hansen (FC Barcelona & Norway)

Few sights in women’s football are as terrifying for defenders as Caroline Graham Hansen advancing with the ball at her feet, combining pace with close control. The Norwegian winger is enjoying one of her finest individual seasons, contributing 20 goals and 12 assists while consistently creating danger, whether cutting inside onto her stronger foot.

The 30-year-old winger’s dribbling ability to beat multiple defenders makes her unplayable when in full flow. Her influence in Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup victory included several key performances throughout the tournament, where she once again showcased her ability to perform on a big stage.

1. Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona & Spain)

After two injury-disrupted seasons that tested her resilience and determination, Alexia Putellas has once again returned to the summit of women’s football with a breathtaking campaign that reminds the world why she was previously a two-time Ballon d’Or Féminin winner. Putellas operates between lines with an elegance that belies the physical demands of modern football, seeming to have an extra second on the ball that no one else is afforded.

Her vision to spot and execute passes that dismantle defensive structures transforms Barcelona’s attacking approach, while her finishing from both inside and outside the penalty area remains clinically precise. What truly elevates her Ballon d’Or Feminin candidacy is her capacity to make the extraordinary appear routine, executing technically demanding skills with such consistency that their difficulty is almost forgotten.

Ballon d’Or Feminin Power Ranking 2025

Who Can Still Break Into the Top 10?

Several football players are knocking on the door, and who knows which one might break into the top 10 if they can maintain their form or secure major silverware. Let’s take a look at the top 5 players who are waiting to grab any opportunity coming their way:

1. Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride)

Another top contender for the Ballon d’Or Féminin, but marginally missed our list. Barbra Banda is having an exceptional season with Orlando Pride, where she has scored nine goals and registered three assists. The Zambian striker has won the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship with Orlando Pride. Although she missed out last year, even after she had a great goal-scoring spree that landed her in 12th place.

2. Lindsey Heaps (Lyon)

Lindsey Heaps, another star player from Lyon making it to the top 15 on our list for Ballon d’Or Feminin nominees. She is having one heck of a season with Lyon, having scored 14 goals and racking up nine assists. The only reason for her not making it into the top 10 is her performance during the Champions League semi-final stage knockout. She lacks a major trophy to back her claim to win the Ballon d’Or Féminin.

3. Claudia Pina (Barcelona)

Another Catalan superstar, who is waiting just outside the top 10 list. Claudia Pina is having one of her dream seasons, she has racked up an impressive 21 goals tally while making nine assists in the process. Having already won the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona and leading the Golden Boot race in the Champions League this season with a comfortable lead of 3 goal difference, she is expected to make it into the top 10 if Barcelona manages to get their hands on the Champions League trophy.

4. Kadidiatou Diani (Lyon)

Although it’s hard to figure out if she will make it to the top 10 in this year’s Ballon d’Or Feminin, as last year she was snubbed from the award list. Kadidiatou Diani hasn’t put a foot wrong this season, scoring 17 goals and assisting nine times, but Lyon’s exit from the UEFA Champions League semi-final stage will hamper her chances for sure.

5. Temwa Chwinga (Kansas City Current)

Isn’t it difficult to keep the best player in the NWSL so low on our list? Well, true, but that’s how it is, with players outscoring her in statistical data as well as clutch performances in European top leagues. Although she has done everything possible to make her case strong for this year’s Ballon d’Or Féminin. Still, her chances our looking quite bleak at the moment. Chwinga has scored 13 goals and has 1 assist to her name, while she has won the NWSL Golden Boot as well as the NWSL x Liga MX Femeni Summer Cup.

Past Women’s Ballon d’Or Winners (2018-2024)

Final Thoughts – Who Will Win Women’s Ballon D’or

The 2025 Ballon d’Or race is tighter than it has been in years. Alexia Putellas’ surge under Pere Romeu has made her the frontrunner, but players like Aitana Bonmati and Caroline Graham Hansen are breathing down her neck. Everything will come down to the final stages of the season and the big trophies.

If she can maintain her staggering form and lead Barcelona (W) to major honours, Putellas could cap off her incredible journey with football’s greatest individual prize. However, don’t count out her competitors as well as her teammates yet, whose form could still tip the scales in their favour as the season reaches its climax.