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The Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual prize in football, is awarded annually by France Football magazine to the player perceived to be the best in the world.

The winner is chosen through a dual system of voting.

Firstly, journalists from France Football and fellow French publication L’Equipe work together to produce a combined list of 30 official nominees, based on players’ performances in the previous season. This initial selection process sometimes also includes a small number of former players.

Then, one football journalist from each of the top 100 Fifa-ranked nations is invited to cast votes for their top 10 players in order from that shortlist. The 10 players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point based on ranking.

Once all journalists have submitted their top 10s, points are tallied and the winner of the Ballon d’Or is the player who accrued the most points in the voting, while the rest are ranked from second to 30th.

If players are tied on points, they are separated by the number of first place votes they received. If they are still level, the number of second place votes are used, and so on.

Journalists taking part in the vote are encouraged to consider three factors:

The way in which the Ballon d’Or is awarded has changed significantly since it was first created in 1956.

Until 1995, only European footballers were eligible for the award. Then, for the next 12 years, players of any origin playing for a club in Europe were eligible. Only from 2007 onwards have all players worldwide been included.

Between 2007 and 2015, the captain and manager of each Fifa-recognised international team was invited to participate in the final vote, but both prior to that period and since then, only journalists have contributed.

From 2010 to 2015, Fifa collaborated with France Football on the award, which was known as the Fifa Ballon d’Or.

Fifa now give out their own separate prize, called the Fifa Best player award, but its lack of long-term history means the Ballon d’Or is generally considered more prestigious.

The women’s award, known as the Ballon d’or Feminine, was first created in 2018.

It has been won twice by Spain internationals Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, as well as once each by Norway’s Ada Hegerberg and the USA’s Megan Rapinoe.

There is a slight nuance in the way the women’s award is voted for – the same system of pre-selection followed by a jury of journalists is used, but only 50 journalists from the top-ranked nations are invited to take part, rather than 100.

Having taken home the trophy eight times, Lionel Messi has won more the Ballon d’Or more often than any other player.

Perennial rival Cristiano Ronaldo is second with five titles, while Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten won three each.

The awarding of the Ballon d’Or sometimes draws criticism from fans and pundits.

In the past, complaints have focused on the fact that the award has historically favoured attacking midfielders and forwards over more defensive players.

Only two centre-backs (Beckenbauer and Fabio Cannavaro) and one goalkeeper (Lev Yashin) have ever won the award.

The jury’s tendency to vote for players whose teams have won the biggest prizes in the game that year, like the World Cup and Champions League, has also caused controversy in the past.

Some believe collective achievement should not impact voting, and that a player who has performed highly as an individual should not miss out because his team was less successful.

Furthermore, the fact that the main award is voted form by journalists, rather than players, coaches, or ex-professionals, has occasionally led to criticism.

The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner will be announced on 22 September 2025 during a ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in central Paris.

A variety of other awards are given out during the ceremony, including:

The following players are considered among the main contenders for the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or, based on their performances since 1 August 2024 with one more international window of fixtures and the Club World Cup before 31 July 2025.

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French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

With a stunning victory in the fourth round against third-seeded Jessica Pegula, world number 361 Lois Boisson delivered the biggest surprise of the French Open this year.

The Frenchwoman triumphed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 against the US Open runner-up, who was given a wildcard into the main draw after torn her knee last year.

Boisson is making her Grand Slam debut, having previously played a player who is ranked among the top 50 in the world.

The 22-year-old served the match for five to six and won it with a thumping forehand winner after serving for it at five to six in the third set.

Boisson sang “Lois” while Boisson was sung! from the enthralling Court Philippe Chatrier crowd as the moment passed.

“I’m not sure what to say,” she said. She said, “Playing on this court, with this atmosphere, was amazing.”

“I gave it all up, and I ultimately prevailed,” the statement says. I’m hoping to “win it all”!

For Boisson, things were radically different a year ago.

Boisson won her home Grand Slam after a strong run of performances on the third rung of the women’s tennis tour.

However, Boisson tore her left knee ACL a week before the clay-court competition began. She missed nine months of the season because she couldn’t bring herself to watch the French Open last year.

Boisson received neurovisual training to speed up her recovery, including using virtual reality headsets and sight tests to monitor her reactions.

At the April Rouen Open against Harriet Dart, the Briton apologized to the umpire for telling her opponent to use deodorant. She made her WTA Tour return.

Later, Boisson made light of the situation by sharing a modified version of her holding some deodorant with Dove, which she claimed “apparently needs a collab.”

Boisson defeated 24th seed Elise Mertens in her opening match and overcame a second-set “bagel” to defeat compatriot Elsa Jacquemot in the third round, using the wildcard that injury denied her last year.

On Boisson’s right elbow, the word “resilience” is tattooed to remind her that her perseverance is worth it, and that victory over Pegula provides conclusive evidence of this.

A superb backhand winner in the second set gave the Frenchwoman a crucial break after being outplayed and overawed in the first set.

Boisson and Pegula broke up quickly in the third half before returning with a quick break.

Pegula, however, blinked once more at 4-4. Boisson won the match by combining deft touch with devastating power to save break points.

As she won, she roared a cheer as her arms were raised above the court to soak in the atmosphere.

Boisson is the lowest-ranked player to reach the fourth round of the French Open since Serena Williams, who was then world number 451 when she took a break in 2018 to reclaim her position.

Julie-Anne Uggla, co-owner of York City, addressed the “glaring imbalance” of the promotion system in an open letter to the EFL and National League.

The 3UP campaign, which demanded three teams move from the fifth tier to the Football League, was launched in February by the 72 clubs in the National League, including those in the North and South divisions.

Prior to 1987, the bottom four EFL clubs had to survive a vote of member clubs in order to be reinstated, which was the first time ever there was automatic promotion into the league. The play-off system introduced a second promotion position in 2003.

After finishing second behind league leaders Barnet and falling to Oldham in the play-offs, York lost out on promotion this year to finish 23 points and three places ahead of them in the final table.

In the promotional final on Sunday, the Latics defeated Southend to reclaim League Two.

In May 2023, Uggla and her son Matthew took over York City, who were expelled from the Football League in 2016.

Following a season in which York City FC was denied promotion despite finishing 28 points clear of seventh place and winning 12 more games, she wrote in a letter published on the club’s website, “I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment at the current promotion system between the National League and League Two.”

A “so glaring imbalance” “erodes the very foundations of fair competition,” not only undermines sporting merit.

The two-up structure is no longer fit for purpose, despite the historical context on which it was built. The distinction between the best National League teams and the bottom EFL teams has gotten worse, and frequently, making it impossible to support three-up promotion.

Every National League club and countless supporters are attracted to the “3UP” campaign, which “rightly reflects that sentiment.”

In accordance with the current format, the teams that place fourth and fifth face those who placed seventh and sixth, respectively, before the winners of those ties face those who placed second and third in one-off ties.

Pep Guardiola’s men have positioned Rayan Ait-Nouri at the top of his list to solve his side’s problematic left-back spot.

Since Benjamin Mendy left, City have relied on a specialist left-back. In August 2021, he made his final appearance for the club.

Several players have had extended positions, including Oleksandr Zinchenko, Joao Cancelo, and Josko Gvardiol.

At the end of last season, Nico O’Reilly, a youngster, took over the role, including Crystal Palace’ FA Cup final defeat.

Guardiola wants to address the problem this summer, but Ait-Nouri, the Wolves defender, is his choice.

The 23-year-old Algeria international has not reached an agreement yet, but sources have faith in it.

Ait-Nouri was chosen for Algeria’s friendly matches against Sweden and Rwanda on June 5 and 6.

Rangers’ manager search is “progressing well” and should be finished in “the coming days,” according to new sporting director Kevin Thelwell.

The club are looking to replace Philippe Clement, who was fired in February, with a consortium of investors led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, who set up majority ownership at Ibrox last week.

Rangers finished last season 17 points clear of Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, but Barry Ferguson assumed head coaching duties temporarily.

Russell Martin and Davide Ancelotti are regarded as the front-runners in the position.

Our goal is clear: we need to win, Thelwell told the club website. “This is a new chapter for Rangers, and we recognize success won’t come easy.”

“It’s my goal, with discipline and ambition, to deliver that.” We’ll do everything in our power to advance this organization as quickly and sustainably as possible.

Thelwell assumed overall control of all football operations, including men’s, women’s, and academy, according to Rangers’ announcement in April.

The 51-year-old previously held similar positions at the New York Red Bulls and the Wolverhampton Wanderers before moving to Glasgow after three years as Everton’s director of football.

Additionally, it was revealed on Sunday that Dan Purdy, Everton’s former head of recruitment, will take the role of technical director in the place of Nils Koppen.

Thelwell has already been a member of the league’s compensation tribunal working group for 2025-26 and has already been appointed.

In a thrilling Isle of Man TT Superbike race that was reduced from six laps to four, Davey Todd held off a sustained charge from Michael Dunlop for the victory.

By the end of the race, the 29-year-old had a lead of just 1.2 seconds over Dunlop, and the 8TEN Racing BMW rider was able to claim the victory with his fastest lap of 135.327mph on his final circuit.

Todd won the Superstock and Senior races at the event in 2024, which is his third TT victory of his career.

After lap one, the two-time British Superstock 1000cc champion jumped 7.9 seconds to take command, but his advantage came in just a little less after lap two, which was 7.1 seconds.

Todd’s advantage was overcome when the riders passed Glen Helen on the final lap, but Todd lost six seconds to his rival in the pits, which left him trailing by 43.5 seconds in third.

This sounds wonderful, I’m over the moon. After the race, Todd thanked the boys for their excellent work.

“I was more anxious than ever this morning, but I was aware that the pace was right and that we weren’t going to overdo it.”

The other fancied riders, Todd, Dunlop, and Harrison, predictably set the pace at the front from the beginning as Peter Hickman was ruled out of the race as a result of a qualifying crash at Kerrowmoar on Friday.

Todd’s lead was significantly diminished when Rokit BMW-mounted Dunlop and him pulled a long way off Harrison’s timesheets before the setback in the pits.

The outcome hung in the balance as the two battled over the next two laps of the 37.73-mile Mountain Course’s stone walls, but Dunlop won the race to the chequered flag despite posting a 135.416 on his final circuit.

Nathan Harrison, a manx rider, came out in fourth place on his Honda, followed by Australian David Johnson in fifth place on a Kawasaki, James Hiller in sixth place, and John McGuinness in seventh.

Conor Cummins, James Hind, James Hind, and Mike Browne were the riders who were the riders who were retiring after lap one and the Mountain section at lap one.

1 Davey Todd (BMW)

2 BMW Michael Dunlop

3 Honda’s Dean Harrison

4 Nathan Harrison (Honda)

5 Sakasaki David Johnson