Eight African names feature on this year’s shortlist for the world’s most prestigious football awards, representing different corners of the continent and various levels of the game.
By Tuka Letura
In a year when African football continues to assert itself across Europe’s top leagues and on the global stage, the 2025 Ballon d’Or nominations have arrived — and they are worthy of note.
Eight African names feature on this year’s shortlist for the world’s most prestigious football awards, representing different corners of the continent and various levels of the game.
At 33, Mohamed Salah no longer plays with the urgency of a newcomer, but his influence remains absolute. This season, he led Liverpool back to the summit of English football, scoring 37 goals and providing 24 assists in 57 appearances as they secured the Premier League title.
He is joined on the Ballon d’Or list by Achraf Hakimi, who achieved something even Paris Saint-Germain had never done before — help deliver a Champions League title. The Moroccan full-back’s season was a complete performance that extended into the Club World Cup, with 11 goals, 14 assists, a goal in the final, and three trophies, including that long-awaited UEFA Champions League.
Then there is Serhou Guirassy. A year ago, few would have placed the Guinean striker in this conversation. But after netting 38 goals and supplying eight assists in 50 games for Borussia Dortmund — including a stunning hat-trick against Barcelona in April — he is impossible to overlook. Silverware may have eluded him, but his goals and all-round performances spoke volumes.
In goal, Yassine Bounou maintained his high standards. Now at Al Hilal, the Moroccan veteran stood out at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, earning a place in the tournament’s Best XI. While playing in Saudi Arabia has taken him off the European radar, his form and leadership continue to anchor Morocco’s ambitions. He is back on the Yashin Trophy shortlist — and deservedly so.
Chiamaka Nnadozie may not yet be a household name internationally, but the Nigerian goalkeeper has been building a reputation brick by brick. At 24, she becomes the first African woman ever nominated for the Women’s Yashin Trophy, in a year that saw her help Paris FC win the French Cup with two penalty saves in the final. She was also key to Nigeria’s WAFCON triumph and now plies her trade in England with Brighton.
Temwa Chawinga is also nominated for Women’s Player of the Year. The 26-year-old striker had a breakout season with Kansas City Current, scoring 20 goals and providing seven assists in just 28 matches. She also added silverware to her collection, lifting the US and Mexico Summer Championships Cup. Her fellow Southern African, Barbra Banda of Zambia, completes the list of African player nominees after a stellar campaign in the United States. Playing for Orlando Pride in the NWSL, Banda scored 17 goals and provided four assists in 35 appearances.
Perhaps the most symbolic nomination of all belongs to Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu, the first African coach of a women’s national team to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or’s Women’s Team Coach of the Year.
Madugu’s team reclaimed the WAFCON title in 2024, dispatching South Africa, Morocco, and Zambia — three sides that had overtaken Nigeria in recent tournaments. Under his guidance, the Falcons did not just win; they became the first nation to win a senior international competition 10 times.
The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on 22 September in Paris. When the lights go up, there may well be Africans on the podium, holding the awards.
Tuka Letura is an experienced sports writer with over six years of experience in the craft. He uses data and statistics to provide analysis and commentary. From regional to worldwide competitions, he has covered a wide range of sports-related events and topics. He is devoted to sharing his enthusiasm for sports with his audience and engaging them with interesting anecdotes and viewpoints.