After winning the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain has several players in contention for the upcoming Ballon d’Or. Speaking to Canal+, former player and now consultant Samir Nasri shared his thoughts on the subject and revealed his top three.
Nasri: “I think it’s deserved to highlight a player who is not supposed to ‘shine’”
“In third place, tied, Vitinha and Hakimi. Hakimi, I think today he’s the best full-back or right-sided player in the world. I think it’s deserved to highlight a player who isn’t usually expected to ‘shine.’ He had great stats, a double-double this season, bravo. He deserves it.
Vitinha, I think with Luis Enrique, moving him back into a holding midfielder role allowed him to evolve his game. He has such technical quality to restart play, set the tempo for his team, and that’s very important for a side like PSG, which tries to dominate its opponents relentlessly. Having a player who can put his foot on the ball is crucial.”
Nasri: “At the start of the season, I put a magnifying glass on him”
“Yamal, for his extraordinary season, what he’s doing at his age, the maturity as well… at the start of the season I put a magnifying glass on him to see, because people talked a lot about his lifestyle. Even his birthday sparked controversy. You take the No.10 shirt at Barça, which carries immense weight, and he’s stepping up.”
Nasri: “He’s starting to find efficiency, and I think he fully deserves it”
For his extraordinary season, his decisive impact throughout the year, and because he’s French — I’m not going to put someone else ahead of a Frenchman when a Frenchman can win it.
I think people talk a lot about PSG’s collective strength, but it still required an individual like Ousmane Dembélé, who scored so many goals in crucial moments. I think his turning point, especially from December, is when everything changed — he started finding efficiency, and I believe he fully deserves it.”
The Ballon d’Or race often sparks debate, but this season it seems unavoidable. With PSG crowned European champions, also winning the domestic double and the UEFA Super Cup, it’s clear that a Parisian will take home the Ballon d’Or.
The real question is which of Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, or Vitinha will be the most deserving. PSG’s collective power is so immense that it’s hard to single out one individual, even though these three always manage to stand out thanks to their world-class performances.
Ultimately, for the Parisian club, the most important objective was achieved by winning the Champions League. Now, this individual trophy will crown one of them, cementing his place among the legends of the sport.
