Erling Haaland has proven himself to be one of the best football players in the world in recent years.
Having been nominated for the past four Ballon d’Or awards, the 25-year-old has been exceptional as one of the best strikers in the modern era of the game.
Now the quest for Haaland becomes to prove himself the best player across the globe, which is usually determined by the Ballon d’Or. Given by France Football to the world’s top player from the previous season, Haaland is chasing the dream every player has of being presented with the Golden Ball.
In the modern game, it is very difficult for a true No. 9 to win the Ballon d’Or. Even in his best season, when Haaland shattered the Premier League record for most goals in a single campaign, he had a fight for the top spot in the rankings.
The Sporting News brings you a rundown on where Haaland finished in the Ballon d’Or voting for the 2024/25 season, and how he’s fared in the since bursting onto the scene in 2021.
LIVE: Follow along with the 2025 Ballon d’Or results and gala live as it happens
Where did Erling Haaland finish in 2025 Ballon d’Or vote?
Nominated amongst the top 30 players in the world for the fifth straight season, Haaland finished 26th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings.
It is the lowest he has finished since being first nominated for the award in 2021.
Ballon d’Or 2025 rankings 20th-30th
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Club |
| 20. | Lautaro Martinez | Argentina | Inter Milan |
| 21. | Serhou Guirassy | Guinea | Borussia Dortmund |
| 22. | Alexis Mac Allister | Argentina | Liverpool |
| 23. | Jude Bellingham | England | Real Madrid |
| 24. | Fabian Ruiz | Spain | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 25. | Denzel Dumfries | Netherlands | Inter Milan |
| 26. | Erling Haaland | Norway | Man City |
| 27. | Declan Rice | England | Arsenal |
| 28 | Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | Liverpool |
| 29. | Florian Wirtz | Germany | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 30. | Michael Olise | France | Bayern Munich |
Has Erling Haaland ever won the Ballon d’Or?
No, Haaland has never won the Ballon d’Or.
The closest he came was in 2023, when he finished second behind Lionel Messi, who was coming off a World Cup title.
That season, he finished with 357 voting points, behind the 462 of Messi. Haaland received 22 first-place votes, while Messi received 66.
All-time Ballon d’Or finishes for Erling Haaland
Before 2025, Haaland had never finished lower than 11th in the Ballon d’Or vote in a year in which he was nominated.
| Year | Finish | Voting Points | Winner (Points) |
| 2025 | 26th | TBD | TBD |
| 2024 | 5th | 432 | Rodri (1170) |
| 2023 | 2nd | 357 | Lionel Messi (462) |
| 2022 | 10th | 18 | Karim Benzema (549) |
| 2021 | 11th | 33 | Lionel Messi (613) |
Has a Norwegian ever won the Ballon d’Or?
No, a Norwegian has never won the Ballon d’Or.
In fact, no player from any Nordic country has ever won the award.
Seventeen European nations have seen at least one player win the Ballon d’Or. The most wins by a single European country is seven, held by France (five players), Germany (five), Netherlands (three), and Portugal (three). They all sit behind Argentina, who have eight wins, all by Lionel Messi.
