Full Ballon d’Or nominee list: Matildas captain and Arsenal star Steph Catley scores nomination

The veteran of 138 caps for Australia follows Sam Kerr’s five nominations and Hayley Raso in 2023.

Catley is one of seven Arsenal players on the nominations list.

Spain’s two-time Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas have also been nominated.

Midfielder Bonmati, 27, won the Spanish league title with Barcelona and was named the Best Player of the Tournament at the Women’s Euro 2025.

Bonmati won the last two Ballon d’Ors.

Barcelona captain Putellas, a winner in 2021 and 2022, has also been short-listed.

Arsenal, the English Women’s Super League runners-up, are the club with the most nominees, with seven in total.

The evergreen Brazilian Marta, 39, has been nominated after her latest Copa America title. The Orlando Pride forward is the oldest nominee.

Chelsea’s French international winger Sandy Baltimore, 25, also made the list for the first time.

The 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or will have a new winner for the second year running after Rodri failed to make the list of 30 nominees dominated by Paris Saint-Germain.

The Manchester City midfielder had already suffered a knee ligament injury ending his season by the time he won the 2024 award last October.

Lionel Messi, who won the last of his eight awards in 2023, is not on the list, nor is five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

PSG, who claimed the Champions League in commanding fashion, have nine nominees. Barcelona, who won a Spanish league and cup double, are represented by four players including the youngest, Lamine Yamal, who has just turned 18, and the oldest, 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on September 22.