The 2025 Ballon d’Or award is the most fascinating since a long time. It compares the winning of the team versus the shining of the lone individual and a new chapter in history besides.
Dembélé’s amazing year with Paris Saint-Germain is the simplest to dismiss the rest of the candidates and place him as the obvious winner.
Winning a Team Championship, playing at one’s best, showing a great Style of Play are the basic things which create the criteria for awarding the Ballon d’Or.
Dembélé is excellent in all these aspects. He was the great source of energy in Paris Saint Germain champion season and in the Champions League in particular, he was declared the Player of the Tournament. His 33 goals and 15 assists in all competitions were his best season yet.
The young Barca talent left a lasting impression YA! At only 18 years Lamine Yamal played an instrumental role in Barcelona’s domestic double, scoring 9 goals and 13 assists in La Liga alone.
The numbers were not what was most impressive about his showing, it was his unforced genius, which made him appear like “a romantic fan’s darling.” The comparison is similar to the past, such as the 2010 case where Messi’s numbers overshadowed the fact that Xavi and Iniesta lifted the World Cup, thus winning fewer class awards than the duo.
Despite that, the 2025 award seems to lean towards the one with the most trophies and incredible statistics.
Dembélé successive triumphs—Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and the Champions League—together with his individual awards are enough to give him the extra mile. He is the most likely recipient of football’s most prestigious individual prize.
Ballon d’Or 2025 Top 10 Ranking
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Raphinha (Barcelona)
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
