Sports

FULL LIST: Ballon d’Or Unveils 2025 Men’s Nominees

Published

5 months ago

August 7, 2025

The Ballon d’Or, on Thursday, officially unveiled the 30-player shortlist for the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or, spotlighting the world’s finest footballers who have delivered exceptional performances over the past year.

Among the top contenders are Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Vinicius Jr., and Harry Kane, all of whom had standout seasons for club and country.

The list also features experienced names such as Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski, and Virgil van Dijk, alongside emerging stars like Lamine Yamal, Joao Neves, and Cole Palmer.

Other notable nominees include Alexis Mac Allister, Désiré Doué, Scott McTominay, Raphinha, Florian Wirtz, Declan Rice, Achraf Hakimi, and Pedri.

The Ballon d’Or remains the most prestigious individual award in world football, recognising extraordinary talent, consistency, and influence on the global game. The winner will be crowned at the annual Ballon d’Or ceremony later this year.

Full list
Jude Bellingham
Ousmane Dembélé
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Désiré Doué
Denzel Dumfries
Serhou Guirassy
Viktor Gyökeres
Erling Haaland
Achraf Hakimi
Harry Kane
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Robert Lewandowski
Alexis Mac Allister
Lautaro Martinez
Kylian Mbappé
Scott McTominay
Nuno Mendes
Joao Neves
Michael Olise
Cole Palmer
Pedri
Raphinha
Declan Rice
Fabian Ruiz
Mohamed Salah
Virgil van Dijk
Vinicius Jr.
Vitinha
Florian Wirtz
Lamine Yamal

Sports

AFCON 2025: Four Teams Qualify For Round Of 16

Published

3 days ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

South Africa became the fourth team to confirm their place in the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Bafana Bafana edged a five-goal thriller against rivals Zimbabwe, winning 3-2 on Monday evening.

Tshepang Moremi opened the scoring for Hugo Broos’ side, before Tawanda
Maswanhise equalised in the 19th minute.

Lyle Foster restored South Africa’s lead five minutes after the break, but Aubrey Modiba drew the match level in the 73rd minute.

The winning goal came with eight minutes remaining, as Oswin Appollis converted from the penalty spot.

The result took South Africa to six points, one behind group winners Egypt. Both sides have qualified for the next round, alongside Nigeria and Algeria.

Sports

AFCON: Uganda Coach Lists Three Things His Team Must Do Against Nigeria

Published

3 days ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

Uganda head coach Paul Put has outlined three key areas his side must focus on to secure victory against Nigeria when both teams clash in Tuesday’s Africa Cup of Nations tie.

Put’s side must claim all three points against the Super Eagles or risk an early exit from the competition. The Cranes have just one point in Group C after their opening two matches.
A win against Nigeria could see Uganda qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

However, speaking at his pre-match press conference on Monday, Put said that for Uganda to overcome Eric Chelle’s side, they must “concentrate be very prepared and win their duels” against Nigeria.

“We have to go for it [win against Nigeria] and we will do it,” Put said.

“Nigerians play at a high level in Europe, so we have to be very concentrated, very prepared and win our duels, which is one of the strong points of Nigeria.”