The defeat of PSG against Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup has tilted the balance of Ballon d'Or more evenly.
Who wins the 2025 Ballon d'Or? Betting seem to center just two names: Dembélé and Lamine Yamal, although there are other candidates, including Raphinha. The loss of PSG against Chelsea in the final of the World Cup in the United States has leveled a playing field that the Frenchman had previously favored.
It seemed that Dembélé had taken a gigantic step in the direction of his golden coronation in the semi -final against Real Madrid. While he played for a few minutes in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, he showed the same dominance against the Blancos as in the Champions League final. The [Club World Cup] Final should serve as his final approval seal. That was not the case. He has hardly had any influence.
The French attacker and former Barça player left without title, and now presents these references to the jury that will award the prize on September 22 in Paris' Théâtre du Châtelet: Champions League winner, MVP tournament and a goal in the final; Ligue 1 champion and top scorer; Coupe de France Champion; And Spofée des Champions winner. He still misses the UEFA Super Cup, which he will dispute against Tottenham.
In total, Dembélé achieved 35 goals and 15 assists in 52 games for PSG throughout the season. “He has shown that he is a cut above the rest for the Ballon d'Or,” Luis Enrique recently defended. And this from a manager who is not particularly fond of individual prizes.
Lamine Yamal can be a heavy rival in the race for the Ballon d'Or. The Barça youth product claimed Laliga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España with Barcelona. He was eliminated from the Champions League in the semi -final and also came within a step to win the Nations League with Spain, lost to Portugal in the final.
His statistics show 18 goals in domestic competitions, plus three more with the Spanish national team – 21 in total. Together with 25 assists, all while wearing the Blaugrana sweater.
Dembélé waves the Champions League as its biggest title, but the magic of Lamine Yamal at such a young age, and all the precocity records that he broke at both club and international level gives him strong opportunities. Then there is Raphinha, with more goals, the same titles, but there is missing that differential spark.