The Ballon d’Or is the prize for which all the best football players in the world compete each year. Rodri now holds the prized individual trophy, which Lionel Messi picked up a record eight times. However, players like Mohamed Salah and Barcelona’s Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are looking forward to next year’s edition.
All three of the names are in the running to be named the greatest football player in the world, usually favouring those whose shared goal is to score and create. Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and Sir Stanley Matthews, the oldest champion in history, are among the previous victors.
According to the statistics, all three are arguably playing at the highest level of their abilities this season and are therefore the front-runners to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or. This term, we have examined their data using Squawka’s Comparison Matrix.
Raphinha vs Salah
Both have profited from the current game’s emphasis on wingers scoring a tonne of goals, even if the skill of goal scoring is usually the responsibility of each club’s line leader.
The claim that he is the most effective is supported by the fact that the former Leeds United talisman has scored 1.1 goals per 90 minutes in the 2024–25 Champions League, compared to Salah’s 0.5. Among the trifecta, he has the highest conversion rate (32%) as well.
One of the top wingers in the world of football, the Brazilian trickster excels at creating opportunities. It has been standard practice to switch from being a threatening left-winger to a provider, as seen by his record of 3.3 chances created per 90.
Also Read: Raphinha comes out as one of the top candidates to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or
Out of all the Ballon d’Or contenders, Barcelona’s Yamal, 17, assumes the title of the best in possession. The youthful player has been a threat from the beginning to the end, completing an average of four take-ons per 90, with 57.78% of those attempts being successful.
| Statistic | Salah | Yamal | Raphinha |
| Finishing | |||
| Goals | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.1 |
| Conversion rate (%) | 13.64 | 11.76 | 32 |
| Shot accuracy (%) | 45.45 | 70.59 | 44 |
| Shots on target | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Chance Creation | |||
| Assists | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Chances created | 1.8 | 1.1 | 3.3 |
| Passes attempted | 29.4 | 36.7 | 40.9 |
| Crossing accuracy (%) | 25 | 8.33 | 33.33 |
| Possession | |||
| Take-ons completed | 0.6 | 4 | 1.7 |
| Take-on success (%) | 30.77 | 57.78 | 54.55 |
| Possession lost | 13.4 | 15.1 | 16.1 |
| Fouls won | 0.6 | 2.2 | 0.9 |
| Duels won | 1.8 | 7.4 | 4.3 |
| Ball recoveries | 2.1 | 3.7 | 2.5 |
| Touches in opp. box | 8 | 4.6 | 5.4 |
