It must have been a short night for Ousmane Dembélé. Last night, the Frenchman was elected Ballon d'Or 2025. While it was predicted that the Frenchman would win the Ballon d' Or 2025 , this was not necessarily the case, as Vincent Garcia, Editor-in-Chief of France Football , explained . "There was no match. Ousmane won it by a wide margin. On all continents: Ousmane Dembélé's Ballon d'Or is clear and simple. It is a Ballon d'Or that is authoritative for our judges." He specified that the 2018 world champion had been practically unanimously chosen and that the votes had not been so widely dispersed among the Parisian players. In Spain, where the rankings of Fabian Ruiz and Pedri were not understood , Lamine Yamal's second place is causing a lot of talk this morning.
Some believe that he deserved to win last night at the Théâtre du Châtelet. On Cadena SER , Lluis Flaquer said: "If PSG hadn't won the Champions League, Dembélé wouldn't have won the Ballon d'Or (...) We have to thank Luis Enrique for allowing Dembélé to win the Ballon d'Or, which is another great achievement in his list of achievements." Some journalists present on set with him didn't necessarily share the same opinion and assured that Dembouz had deserved his trophy after his great year. Marca , on the other hand , recognizes the Frenchman's qualities. But the Spanish media believes that Lamine Yamal would have deserved the title.
PSG's titles counted more than Lamine Yamal's genius
"The listless and intermittent winger (Dembélé) has become, under Luis Enrique, a mobile striker, capable of pressing, dropping back to refresh the game, and producing an excellent series of assists and goals. A great player, the pearl of a great team, PSG, which placed Vitinha third in the ranking. With Lamine Yamal, they made up the podium, but we would have placed him in a different order. We would have bet on Lamine, for his ability to achieve more striking and artistic things. He missed the crowning glory of the season in situations that Barça did not reach, the Champions League final and the Club World Cup, two venues conducive to garnering votes, but he did not participate in either of these two competitions."
Marca continued: "It wasn't his fault. In any case, at just 18, he broke a new record by finishing second, a prelude to the triumph that awaits him." Sport wrote: "There was no double, as Ousmane Dembélé beat Lamine Yamal in the men's trophy. PSG's great season was preferred to the immense talent of the Barça striker (...) Lamine had to settle for winning the Kopa Trophy for the second year in a row, awarded to the best footballer under 21, where Pau Cubarsí finished seventh. The genius from Rocafonda is only 18 and will certainly win the most prestigious trophy in the future. He is destined to lift it many times."
Goal Ballon d'Or 2026
Moreover, some Spanish media outlets are already looking ahead to the next edition and expecting a showdown with Madrid's Kylian Mbappé. This is the case of Marca . "The fight has begun. The World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will undoubtedly determine the winner of the next Ballon d'Or. After Dembélé's victory, after his successful 2024-25 season with PSG, and especially Lamine Yamal's second-place finish, the race for the 2026 Ballon d'Or has already begun. As usual, what happens in the 2026 Champions League final in Budapest, but what the World Cup, and to a lesser extent the Africa Cup of Nations, will hold, will be the key to determining the winner in the fall of next year. Two names stand out above the others: Kylian Mbappé (26) and Lamine Yamal (18). A power struggle between Real Madrid and Barcelona and between Spain and France (the top two in the FIFA rankings).
Regarding the Spaniard, the publication added: "The Spaniard is the big favorite after his fine second-place finish in the 2025 edition. The superiority he shows in every match at his age is overwhelming. Much will depend on what Barcelona manages to do in the Champions League... and Spain in the World Cup. The great position in this last edition suggests that Lamine is on the lips of a large part of the jury." His father, Mounir Nasraoui, is convinced of this. "He is the greatest... I will not speak of theft, but rather of moral harm caused to a human being. Lamine Yamal is by far the best player in the world. It is not only because he is my son, but because he is the best player in the world." After the defeat against Dembouz, Lamine Yamal is already aiming for the next Ballon d'Or.
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