Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, 28-year-old striker Ousmane Dembélé has become one of the favorites for the Ballon d’Or 2025. While some believe that the trophy should undoubtedly end up in the hands of 17-year-old FC Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal, this is not the opinion of former Paris defender Mamadou Sakho (2002-2013), as he told RTL.
““How can some journalists still have doubts about it? We all have to pull together. And with what he’s proved, what he’s shown this year, Dembele should get the golden ball, we have to support him. Like Ribéry back then, not everyone supported him. And I think that’s a shame.”
Normally, this distinction was awarded to the best player over the calendar year. Initially, trophies won were taken into account to determine the winner. Gradually, however, the Ballon d’Or became more about rewarding the top goalscorer than the best player. Today, with Ousmane Dembélé having won the French championship, the French Cup and the Champions League, he should logically be the great favorite for this trophy.
Unfortunately, this is not really the case, as some French journalists even claim that there is no debate between Dembélé and Yamal. The Club World Cup could play an important part in this decision. But we could also find ourselves, as with Ribéry, Iniesta and others, in a situation where the final result of the Ballon d’Or would make no logical sense given the trophies won by the French international.
