Widely held as one of the greatest football players of all-time, Cristiano Ronaldo remains steadfast in his career despite having passed the age of 40.
Given to the best player across the previous year, the Ballon d’Or is considered the most coveted individual award in world football. Ronaldo has won the award an outstanding five times, second-most in history behind only Lionel Messi. Only those two have won the award more than three times in their careers.
Ronaldo remains a high-caliber player even at his advanced age, scoring goals at an exceptional rate for his Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr. He bagged 25 goals last season in league play, plus another eight in the AFC Champions League, putting him atop the goal-scoring charts in both competitions.
The Sporting News breaks down if CR7 is in the running for the 2025 Ballon d’Or and where he stands in global football.
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Was Cristiano Ronaldo nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or?
Now 40, Cristiano Ronaldo was not nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or. Thus, he is not eligible to win the award this year, as the eventual selection must be picked from the list of 30 nominees.
Despite the fact that Ronaldo has been a prolific goal scorer for Al Nassr since joining in 2023, he is no longer considered among the 30 best players in the world at this moment.
Unfortunately, playing outside of Europe has all but eliminated Ronaldo from contention for the Ballon d’Or. While he is technically eligible for the award, as are all professional football players around the world as of 2007, it’s almost impossible for someone playing for an Asian club to do enough to gain the respect of the selection committee or the voters — the pedigree of the Saudi Pro League is just not to that level.
Still, Ronaldo remains a force up front for his club at a high level. He set the Saudi Pro League single-season goal scoring record in the 2023/24 season with 35 league goals, and last season, his total of 25 proved he can still deliver. However, he has yet to help Al Nassr to a league title, something he continues to seek ahead of his third full season at the club.
MORE: All the latest Cristiano Ronaldo news
2025 men’s Ballon d’Or shortlist
The following 30 players were officially nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or in 2025, announced on Thursday, Aug. 7.
| Player | Pos | Nationality | Club (Nation) | Age |
| Jude Bellingham | CM | England | Real Madrid (ESP) | 22 |
| Ousmane Dembele | FWD | France | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 28 |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | GK | Italy | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 26 |
| Desire Doue | FWD | France | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 20 |
| Denzel Dumfries | RB | Netherlands | Inter Milan (ITA) | 29 |
| Serhou Guirassy | FWD | Guinea | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 29 |
| Viktor Gyokeres | FWD | Sweden | Sporting CP (POR) | 27 |
| Erling Haaland | FWD | Norway | Manchester City (ENG) | 25 |
| Achraf Hakimi | RB | Morocco | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 26 |
| Harry Kane | FWD | England | Bayern Munich (GER) | 32 |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | FWD | Georgia | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 24 |
| Lamine Yamal | FWD | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 18 |
| Robert Lewandowski | FWD | Poland | Barcelona (ESP) | 36 |
| Alexis Mac Allister | CM | Argentina | Liverpool (ENG) | 26 |
| Lautaro Martinez | FWD | Argentina | Inter Milan (ITA) | 27 |
| Kylian Mbappe | FWD | France | Real Madrid (ESP) | 26 |
| Scott McTominay | CM | England | Napoli (ITA) | 28 |
| Nuno Mendes | LB | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 23 |
| Joao Neves | CM | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 20 |
| Michael Olise | FWD | France | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 |
| Cole Palmer | ACM | England | Chelsea (ENG) | 23 |
| Pedri | CM | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 22 |
| Declan Rice | CM | England | Arsenal (ENG) | 26 |
| Fabian Ruiz | CM | Spain | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 29 |
| Raphinha | FWD | Brazil | Barcelona (ESP) | 28 |
| Mohamed Salah | FWD | Egypt | Liverpool (ENG) | 33 |
| Virgil van Dijk | CB | Netherlands | Liverpool (ENG) | 34 |
| Vinicius Jr. | FWD | Brazil | Real Madrid (ESP) | 25 |
| Vitinha | CM | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 25 |
| Florian Wirtz | ACM | Germany | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 22 |
