The race for the Ballon d’Or Féminin 2025 is wide open after a year of landmark club and international triumphs. From Aitana Bonmatí’s bid for a historic three-peat to Mariona Caldentey’s transformative impact at Arsenal, we profile seven players chasing women’s football’s top individual prize.
The Ballon d’Or is football’s ultimate individual accolade, the prize that crowns a player’s season and enters their name into the game’s history.
Ada Hegerberg, famously the first ever winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or, set the stage for a new era in the women’s game when she scooped up the award in 2018. Since then, Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas (2021, 2022) and Aitana Bonmatí (2023, 2024) have made the trophy their own, becoming the only players to win it more than once.
In a season where Arsenal won a European title, Orlando Pride and Paris FC won a trophy and England, Brazil and Nigeria won international honours, who takes the trophy home?
Here are seven players who look primed for a podium finish on Monday 22 September.
Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal/Spain)
Mariona Caldentey swapped Barcelona for Arsenal in the summer of 2024. Less than a year later, she had propelled the Gunners back to the summit of Europe, beating her former side in the UEFA Champions League final. It was her fourth UCL title and her third in a row.
The 29-year-old has quickly became a vital player in Renee Sleger’s side thanks to her blend of technical quality and versatility.
In the Women’s Super League, she recorded 14 goal contributions, a tally that only Vivianne Asseyi and Elisabeth Terland could better (15 each). In the UWCL, only Claudia Pina (10) scored more than Caldentey’s seven.
No player was involved in more shot-ending sequences than Caldentey (131) in the WSL last season, and she also started the most such sequences (33).
Slegers’ used Caldentey in a deeper role, adding press resistance and balance to Arsenal’s midfield.
While her quality on the ball is undeniable, the Spaniard’s out-of-possession work is also excellent. She was a crucial piece in Arsenal’s high-press, winning the ball back 36 times in the final third, the most of any player in the English top flight last season.
Fifteen months on from her move to London, Caldentey has proven to be one of last summer’s most transformative signings.
Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil)
Marta had a dream year with both club and country. The 37-year-old helped Orlando Pride win their first ever NWSL Championship and she came out of international retirement to lead Brazil to a ninth Copa América Femenina title.
Only Claudia Martinez and Chelsea’s Mayra Ramírez (7 each) bettered Marta’s six goal contributions at the 2025 Copa. In the final, she came off the bench to score twice, including a late equaliser to force extra-time.
No player was involved in more open-play sequences ending in a goal at the tournament than Marta (6), proving that she continues to be just as decisive in matches as she was when she burst onto the scene 20 years ago.
In the NWSL, only Temwa Chawinga (20), Barbara Banda (13) and Sophia Wilson (12) bettered her nine goals, and her finishing was red hot for both club and country. She scored three goals from an xG of 1.3 at the Copa América and overperformed her xG by 3 for Pride, the biggest overperformance last season in the NWSL.
The six-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year is still competing with the best of the current generation.
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/Spain)
The two-time Women’s Ballon d’Or winner is once again in the running for the award. With her injury worries behind her, Alexia Putellas ran the show for Barcelona and Spain last season, breaking lines with her vision and regularly producing highlight-reel moments.
In Liga F, she finished top for assists (11) and second for goals (16, behind Ewa Pajor’s 25). She consistently picked up the ball in dangerous areas on the half-turn and unlocked organised defences with her passing.
The 31-year-old’s creativity was unmatched, with no player creating more big chances (19) or attempting more through balls than Putellas last season (10).
She carried her domestic form into the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championship. Her seven goal involvements were the most by any player in the competition (3 goals and 4 assists).
She had 53 involvements in open-play shot-ending sequences at the Euros, second only to Patri Guijarro (58), and no one was involved in more open-play goal-ending sequences than Putellas (nine).
Though she collected runners-up medals in both the UWCL and European Championship finals, her influence was unquestionable.
Alessia Russo (Arsenal/England)
Alessia Russo was the attacking centrepiece for both club and country last season, helping her teams with goals, assists and providing a crucial focal point in attack.
She topped Arsenal’s goalscoring charts in both the WSL (12) and the Champions League (7). At the Euros, only Putellas (7) had more goal involvements than Russo’s five.
The former Manchester United striker is a presence in the box and loves to get on the end of chances.
Russo recorded the most touches inside the box last season in the WSL last season (163) and no player had more direct shot involvements (64) than her – defined as when a player’s only involvement in a team’s passing move is taking the final shot. That shows just how much of a penalty-box player she can be.
Strong in link-up play and effective aerially, she provided Arsenal and England with the perfect target for two teams who were happy to swing the ball into the box. Only Rachel Daly (18) and Khadija Shaw (17) attempted more headed shots than Russo last season (16) in the WSL, while she scored an excellent header in the Euro final for England against Spain.
The 26-year-old won European silverware with both club and country and looks primed to finish on the podium this year.
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona/Spain)
The two-time reigning Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati has a chance to make it three in a row in 2025.
Bonmatí delivered once again on the biggest stages, helping Barcelona reach the UWCL final and playing a key role in Spain’s journey to the Euro 2025 final two months later.
Her influence on her teams’ possession play is total. One third of Barcelona’s elite three-pronged midfield, Bonmatí is responsible for linking play, creating opportunities and contributing to the team’s high press.
She finished the domestic season with 18 goal contributions (12 goals and 6 assists), making it her third consecutive season with 15+ goal contributions. She also created the most chances in Liga F (69), including the most from open play (67), while no midfielder had more touches inside the opposition box (178).
Bonmatí also led the league for secondary chances created (58) and secondary assists (12) – the passes before a teammate either shot or scored – showing her influence in the build-up to shots. Further proof is provided by the fact that no player had more open-play shot-ending sequence involvements than Bonmatí in the Spanish top flight last season (235).
Combine that with her big-game performances, and she has built a strong case for a third Ballon d’Or award in a row.
Ewa Pajor (Barcelona/Poland)
Ewa Pajor moved to Barcelona from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2024, with a clear mission to break all sorts of goalscoring records and win trophies. Despite missing out on the UWCL again, Pajor won the domestic treble and rewrote Barcelona’s record books.
Her 43 goals across all competitions for Barcelona, including five hat-tricks, set a new club record for most goals by a women’s player in a single season. Her 25 strikes in the league alone were the most for the club since Jenni Hermoso scored 31 in 2020-21.
While Poland didn’t win an international trophy, the 2025 European Championship was their first ever major tournament. Pajor scored in all but one of their qualification play-off games, including the final away leg against Austria. She also scored in Poland’s only Euros win against Denmark.
Pajor added an air of verticality and directness to Barcelona’s possession-heavy attack, with her presence inside the box a reference for Pere Romeu’s attack.
In Liga F, she led the league for direct shot involvements (91). Remarkably, she was only involved in the build-up for two of her 25 league goals, underlining her role as a pure penalty-box finisher.
Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain)
In a midfield trio where her two other partners have four Ballon d’Or awards between them, Patri Guijarro can often be overlooked.
The Spaniard has been one of the most consistent and reliable players for club and country across the past season, however.
Guijarro was at the heart of everything her sides did in possession, showing a uncanny octopus-esque ability to recover possession and kickstart attacking moves.
At the Euros, she started more open-play shot-ending sequences than any other player (15) and was involved in more open-play build-up sequences than anyone else (374).
Her passing and ball carrying qualities ensure she is heavily involved in build-up and progression. Only Mapi León (92) made more progressive carries than Guijarro in the UWCL last season (94).
Despite leading the assist charts in the Champions League, Guijarro is not a direct goal scorer or chance creator, often playing the pass preceding the final pass. No player created more secondary chances at the Women’s Euros in the summer than the 27-year-old midfielder (14).
Guijarro may not provide goals and assists, but she provides everything that comes before them – the control and tempo that allow her teammates to shine.
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