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The Ballon d’Or debate is already heating up as the 2025-26 season is now underway among Europe’s top leagues. PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé and Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal are leading the early conversation.
Dembélé delivered a spectacular 2024-25 campaign, scoring 35 goals and adding 16 assists in 53 appearances while powering PSG to a historic treble that included the Champions League.
Yamal, still just a teenager, also made his mark last season. He finished with 18 goals and 25 assists across 55 matches, guiding Barcelona to the league title, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de España. Performances like that have put him firmly in the mix for the game’s most prestigious individual honor.
Who should win the Ballon d’Or?
Despite factoring in PSG’s treble last season, Dembélé does not have unanimous support. Many observers are voting for Yamal, considered the best player in the world at just 18 years old. Barcelona’s No. 10 also deserves the Ballon d’Or, according to Jules Koundé.
“Lamine Yamal for the Ballon d’Or? You’re putting me in a tricky situation, but I think he deserves it,” Koundé said (h/t Le10Sport). “I have a very good relationship with him. He’s a team player, he works a lot for the team. He needs energy to attack, and I understand him perfectly.”
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