⚠️ Ballon d'Or: 19 winners failed to shine the next year, the list and why 👎 | OneFootball

The nomination of the 30 finalists for the Ballon d'Or not only reminds us of who deserved to be there and was not included, but also tells us about those who failed to repeat their performance after 12 months.

Below is the list of players nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or who were not included in the 30 candidates for 2025.

Rodri - 1°

The 2024 Ballon d'Or could not physically defend the title due to a cruciate ligament rupture, which occurred in September 2024. Rodri received the award on crutches and only returned to the field in May 2025 with Manchester City

Daniel Carvajal and Toni Kroos - 4° and 9°

Last year's 4th place and the top scorer of the 23/24 Champions League final did not make it to the top 30 of this edition. His season was positive, but not that of Real Madrid, which won "only" the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.

A player unable to repeat his performance is Toni Kroos: now a former player, he retired in 2024 at the peak of his career at 34.

Phil Foden - 11°

Like many Manchester City players, Foden declined in the 2024/2025 season, especially in the Premier League. Just look at the goal tally: 7 this year in the league, a whopping 19 the year before. He also didn't get the chance to show off with England, as he did at Euro 2024.

Dani Olmo - 13°

Dani Olmo's first season with Barcelona was positive: 10 goals in the league (personal record) and 2 in the Champions League - including one scored against Inter - despite injuries affecting his continuity. A great but unlucky season without the chance to shine with Spain, as he did in 2024.

Ademola Lookman - 14°

Ademola Lookman's 2024/25 season was fantastic in terms of numbers: 15 goals in the league (personal record) and 5 in the Champions League, matching those scored in the 2023/24 Europa League. His season lacked only the great individual moment that remains in memory: that hat-trick in the final against Leverkusen.

Nico Williams - 15°

The Athletic Bilbao winger did not maintain the same level shown at Euro 2024: unstoppable on the left along with Yamal on the opposite flank. This season he scored 5 goals and recorded fewer assists than the previous year: a somewhat transitional season for Nico Williams, who has renewed almost "for life" with Bilbao until 2035.

Granit Xhaka  and Grimaldo - 16° and 28°

Two key men of Bayer Leverkusen who played well but not enough to confirm themselves among the best in the world: Xhaka maintained his performance level while Grimaldo saw a significant decrease in his offensive contribution. For both, the "Leverkusen effect" has faded a bit in Xabi Alonso's last year, even in terms of media coverage.

Federico Valverde - 17°

Federico Valverde probably should rightfully be in the top 30 of the Ballon d'Or but (as told in this article) the Uruguayan has paid for Real Madrid's season. His performances were there, perhaps the goals in decisive moments have decreased but not everything else, which is not little.

Emiliano Martinez - 18°

The best goalkeeper of the Premier and Copa America 2024 did not disappoint expectations but did not confirm the same level of saves: from 3.9 goals saved in the last championship he went to the "only" 0.2 of this year. He still won the "save of the year" award in the Premier League, but it was not enough.

Odegaard, Saka and Saliba  - 19°;  21° and 24°

Martin Odegaard has significantly lowered the number of goals scored and although Arsenal has maintained the 2nd position in the Premier, the championship has almost never been within reach and - when it happened - the Gunners did not take advantage of their opportunities.

For Saka, it was the worst year in terms of scoring in the Premier League since 2021: only 6 goals in the league but as many in the Champions League. Saka remained a key element in Arteta's team but failed to combine coolness and assists served at the level we were used to.

For Saliba it's a different story: the level remained the same, the goals conceded by the Gunners increased slightly and personal performances did not suffer a sharp drop. To be among the best 30 in the world, however, it was not enough.

Hakan Calhanoglu - 20°

Like all of Inter, he suffered at various times of the season and the number of goals scored in the league decreased (from 13 to 5) while in the Champions League he scored heavy goals against Arsenal and Barcelona in the return. The year without a title and the 5-0 defeat in the final weigh heavily on his evaluation.

Antonio Rudiger - 22°

Like the other Real Madrid players, the overall season was not as exciting as the past ones and, in addition, weighing even more are the 6 match suspensions received by the defender after going crazy - almost literally - in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.

Ruben Dias - 23°

To explain the absence of Ruben Dias from the 2025 Ballon d'Or, just look at Manchester City's season: 10 more goals conceded than the previous season, 20 fewer points and zero titles in the trophy cabinet. With such a score, it was impossible to make it to the final list.

Artem Dovbyk and Mats Hummel - 29° tie

The top scorer of the 2023/24 Liga did not confirm himself at Roma: a tough adaptation season without too many highlights for the Ukrainian player. The Ballon d'Or ranking, looking at the season with Roma, seems a distant memory.

Tied with him is Hummels, also at Roma in his last season as a player. Many integration problems, partially convincing performances and only 20 appearances: absolutely not a Top 30 season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 Francois Nel - 2025 Getty Images