In this article, we will cover the African Ballon d'Or winners and nominees of the past, and potentially future as we speculate who could be in the running for the prestigious award in 2025.
The favourites for the Ballon d’Or awards tend to be from Europe or South America more often than not. This is nothing new, as one has to go back to 1995 to witness the last player from outside either continent crowned as the world’s best player.
Even though there have been several great players to hit the headlines from Africa, the list of African Ballon d’Or winners is relatively small and limited to the player alone – George Weah.
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George Weah Ballon d’Or makes history in 1995
George Weah is widely considered to be one of the greatest footballers to have graced the game, and it certainly makes him one of the best African footballers ever. After starting with clubs in the African continent, the Liberian made his name playing for the likes of Monaco, PSG, and AC Milan.
Weah was crucial in helping PSG reach the semifinals of the Champions League that campaign. He scored eight goals in 11 European games for the French outfit to become the top scorer in the competition in 1995. These incredible performances earned him a move to Italian football with AC Milan.
His exploits with PSG helped the club lift the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue titles. Weah scored 18 goals in all competitions, a remarkable achievement back then.
Other African Ballon d’Or nominees
The Weah Ballon d’Or success has never been matched by another African since then. However, a small number of African footballers have come close.
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast – 2006)
Didier Drogba was nominated for the 2006 title after picking up 20 Premier League goals while also adding six more in the Champions League. Throughout the season, Drogba had managed 33 goals from a staggering 60 matches in all competitions.
Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon – 2009)
The 2009 Ballon d’Or title almost saw Samuel Eto’o make it to the top three positions following a spectacular campaign with Barcelona. The striker had a staggering 30 goals in just 36 La Liga matches while also scoring six more goals in the Champions League to end the campaign with 36 goals from just 52 matches.
Mohamed Salah (Egypt – 2018 & 2019)
Mohamed Salah finished in the top 10 of the Ballon d’Or rankings in the 2018 and 2019 seasons following an incredible success with Liverpool. Even though he ultimately finished huge points behind Luka Modric and Lionel Messi, Salah almost came close to achieving history. He had managed 50 goals in these two seasons with Liverpool.
Sadio Mane (Senegal – 2022)
Sadio Mane had the closest finish in the Ballon d’Or ranking since George Weah after a second-place finish in 2022. The Liverpool winger had managed 23 goals in 51 appearances but he was instrumental in almost helping the club to Champions League success.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria – 2023)
Victor Osimhen created history with Napoli by getting the club to the Italian Serie A title for the first time in more than three decades. The 26 league goals scored by the Nigerian were a decisive factor in overcoming the two Milan clubs and Juventus.
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria – 2024)
Ademola Lookman was nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or after an impressive season with Atalanta, where he won the UEFA Europa League (UEL), even scoring a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen. He also reached the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final with Nigeria, but they lost to host nation Ivory Coast.
Could Victor Osimhen win the Ballon d’Or in 2025?
At this stage, it seems highly unlikely that Osimhen will win the Ballon d'Or in 2025. After an impressive 2022/23 campaign in which he helped Napoli win the Scudetto with 26 goals in Serie A, last season was unfortunately plagued by injury problems and failed to reach the same heights.
Osimhen also fell out of favour with new Napoli manager Antonio Conte, and he has subsequently been loaned out to Galatasaray in Turkey for the season. The Turkish league is inferior to some of Europe's other top leagues in terms of quality, which may hinder Osimhen's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or even more.
African Ballon d'Or winners and nominees – our top future candidates
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
Lookman was the only African player nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or, and so naturally will be one of the biggest contenders from the continent to win the award in the future. Perhaps he needs to join a bigger club than Atalanta to really increase his chances, and entering his prime years as a footballer, there may only be one more big move left in his career.
Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Salah is in his 30s now, but is still playing at the highest level and remains a world-class player on his day. The Liverpool star may have to win both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League (UCL) again, though, to put himself in real contention once more.
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea)
Serhou Guirassy earned a big move to UCL finalists Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window after his goalscoring exploits for VfB Stuttgart, which helped them finish in an impressive second place in the Bundesliga last term. The striker is in his prime years, and another outstanding season at a higher level may well put him in contention.
Victor Boniface (Nigeria)
Another Nigerian makes our list in Victor Boniface, who is starring for one of the best clubs in world football at the moment in Bayer Leverkusen. Indeed, he played a large part in their outstanding 2023/24 campaign, and at his fairly youthful age, will only get better as he develops his game.
Boniface had initially agreed a deal to move to Al Nassr in the January transfer window, but the move broke down after the Saudi Pro League side decided that they wanted to sign Colombia international striker Jhon Duran from Aston Villa in the Premier League instead. Nonetheless, in his early 20s, Boniface still has his whole career ahead of him to keep playing at the highest level.
Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)
Nicolas Jackson certainly divides opinion, as he has looked spectacular at times for Chelsea, but also misses a fair few chances that you would otherwise expect him to score. Like Boniface, he is still developing his game, and if he can brush up on his finishing, he will no doubt become one of the best strikers in world football.
Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)
Mohammed Kudus is a player who gets fans off their seats with his skill and elite dribbling ability. The West Ham United star has been linked with a potential move to some of the top clubs in European football, and should he keep on impressing at the highest level, then he could well find himself in contention.
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)
Very much like Kudus, Bryan Mbeumo has to been linked with some much bigger clubs than his current side Brentford. The Cameroon international is yet to enter his prime years in his mid-20s, and if he continues to tear up the Premier League, then a big move and even a potential Ballon d'Or nomination could well follow.
Omar Marmoush (Egypt)
Omar Marmoush earned a big-money transfer to reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in the January window, after impressing in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt. In his mid-20s, the Egypt international is still yet to hit his peak, and winning a number of major trophies at the Etihad Stadium, as well as scoring an abundance of goals, could well put him in contention.
