The 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or is expected to be announced on Thursday. Here are six African stars who are expected to make the final cut.
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The Ballon d'Or is the pinnacle of individual success in football, and the excitement around which names will be up for contention is upon us.
With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi now in the twilight years of their career, the Ballon d'Or has no longer become a showdown of the two icons.
2024 marked the first time that neither star made the final shortlist and marked a new era of competition for the top prize, with Manchester City's Rodri taking the title ahead of Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior.
The race for the 2025 prize is expected to be an even hotter contest as the likes of Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe all enjoyed incredible individual seasons.
There is expected to be a strong African contingent this season among the nominees this year, including the Egyptian King. Salah enjoyed one of his most successful seasons with Liverpool, scoring 33 goals and adding 23 assists in all competitions as he led Liverpool to a 20th English Premier League title.
PSG's Achraf Hakimi was a key component of a dominant PSG side that won four trophies last season, as he grabbed 11 goals and 16 assists in 55 games in a successful season individually.
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We take a look at six African stars who are expected to make the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist, according to Afrik Foot.
*All stats according to Transfermarkt*
