Liverpool and Egypt forward, Mohamed Salah, Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, and Moroccan duo, Achraf Hakimi and Yassine Bounou have been shortlisted for the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards.
The nominations for Madugu and Nnadozie follow Nigeria’s stellar campaign at the recently concluded Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, where the Super Falcons clinched their historic 10th continental title.
Salah and Hakimi, who plays for PSG, were listed alongside favourites PSG and French forward Ousmane Dembele, Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, Real Madrid’s trio Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jnr, among others for the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or (Player of the Year) award.
Madugu is shortlisted alongside Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor, Brazil’s Arthur Elias, Arsenal’s Renée Slegers and England’s Euros winning coach Sarina Wiegman for the Women’s Team Coach of the Year (Johan Cruyff Trophy).
Nnadozie, who also plays for English club Brighton, is nominated for the best female goalkeeper (Women’s Yachine Trophy), alongside Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC and Germany) Cata Coll (FC Barcelona and Spain), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea and England), and Daphne van Domselaar (Arsenal and the Netherlands).
Similarly, in the best male goalkeeper category (Men’s Yachine Trophy), Al Hilal’s Bounou joins nine other nominees – Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa and Argentina), Alisson Becker (Liverpool and Brazil), Lucas Chevalier (Lille and France), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid and Belgium).
2025 Champions League winning goalkeeper, PSG and Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid and Slovenia), David Raya (Arsenal and Spain), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest and Belgium) and Yann Sommer (Internazionale and Switzerland), are the other nominees for best male goalkeeper.
