Real Madrid reveal 2025 Ballon d'Or nominees: Mbappé, Vinicius, Bellingham and Cucurella

Real Madrid are talking about the Ballon d'Or again. The Spanish club published its list of nominees for the 2025 edition on its official website and social media channels on Thursday, a move that puts an end to the complete silence the club maintained throughout last year. Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Marc Cucurella appear as the Madrid candidates for the most prestigious individual award in football.

Alongside them, Real Madrid also announced its representatives in other categories. Thibaut Courtois will compete for the best goalkeeper award, while young Diomande is listed among the nominees for best young player and Schröder is in contention for the best young female player prize.

• Real Madrid name Mbappé, Vinicius, Bellingham and Cucurella as their 2025 Ballon d'Or nominees.
• Courtois is up for best goalkeeper, with Diomande and Schröder nominated in the young player categories.
• The announcement breaks the silence Madrid maintained throughout the 2024 Ballon d'Or.
• Real Madrid skipped the 2024 gala after learning Rodri would beat Vinicius to the award.
• Caroline Weir attended the 2024 ceremony on a personal basis, not as a club representative.

Real Madrid's 2024 Ballon d'Or boycott

The decision to publish its nominees now carries far more weight than it might seem. Last year the club chose to erase any reference to the Ballon d'Or from its communication. There was not a single mention of the players shortlisted, who were precisely Mbappé, Bellingham and Vinicius, and no statement was made about what happened after the verdict was announced.

No one from the club attended the ceremony in Paris. The only presence connected to Real Madrid was Caroline Weir, then a player in the women's team, who went on a personal basis without representing the institution. The gesture symbolised the complete breakdown between the European champions and France Football, the award's organiser.

Why Real Madrid cut ties with the Ballon d'Or

The dispute stems from the 2024 gala and Vinicius Jr's defeat. For weeks the Brazilian had been widely seen as the clear favourite to lift the trophy, and the club had everything in place to travel to Paris with a large delegation. But at the last minute came the information that the winner would be Rodri Hernández, the Manchester City and Spain midfielder, and the news hit the club like a bombshell.

With the ceremony about to begin, Real Madrid scrapped its plans and decided that no one would attend. Not even the fact that the club itself was named best team of the year and Carlo Ancelotti best coach softened the stance. That night it seemed clear that the relationship between Real Madrid and the Ballon d'Or had been broken for good.

The reconciliation comes with four Madrid nominees

The publication of the 2025 nominees shows that the situation has been repaired. The Ballon d'Or is once again present on Real Madrid's official channels, which now proudly display their candidates across the different categories. Mbappé and Vinicius lead a list that also includes Bellingham and Cucurella, the latter one of the most notable additions after his role in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph.

The reconciliation also comes in a year in which the Spanish side is once again a serious contender for every major title. The weight of its players across European and domestic competitions makes Real Madrid one of the clubs with the strongest representation on the nominee lists, and the fact that it has communicated this officially confirms the club wants to move on from the 2024 episode.

Courtois, Diomande and Schröder complete Madrid's presence

Beyond the main category, Real Madrid will also have representation in other awards. Thibaut Courtois, a key figure in the Madrid goal, appears as a candidate for the best goalkeeper award, a recognition he knows from previous editions. Diomande, meanwhile, is listed among the nominees for best young player, and Schröder features in the women's category for best young female player.

What Real Madrid can expect at the 2025 ceremony

With four nominees in the main category and presence in three additional awards, Real Madrid shape up as one of the leading protagonists of the next ceremony. The Ballon d'Or will once again be held in the autumn, and it remains to be seen whether the Spanish club also resumes its physical presence at the gala after last year's high-profile absence.

The decision to publish the nominees on its official channels is the first clear step towards a normalisation many Madrid fans had been waiting for. The Ballon d'Or is back in Real Madrid's narrative, and that alone is already news.