Thomas Frank makes Ballon d'Or admission after Tottenham defeat - 'What a player'

The Tottenham Hotspur boss talked up a PSG star after he impressed against Spurs in the Champions League

Thomas Frank believes the next winner of the Ballon d’Or was on the pitch at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night.

Frank watched his Tottenham Hotspur side take the lead twice against Paris Saint-Germain, only to eventually slump to a 5-3 defeat.

The result follows the disappointing 4-1 loss to Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday, although there were more positives to take from the performance in the French capital.

Spurs were undone at times by some slick attacking play from their hosts, with Vitinha in particular proving too tough to handle. The Portugal midfielder scored from distance either side of half time — one right-footed and one left-footed — and then clinched his hat-trick from the penalty spot.

Afterwards, Frank said Vitinha has the potential to be crowned the best player on the planet, potentially following in the footsteps of his PSG team-mate Ousmane Dembele.

“The next Ballon d’Or winner will be again from PSG,” predicted the Spurs boss. “It will be Vitinha. The best midfielder in the world, and he’ll be the next Ballon d’Or winner. Wow, what a player.”

Dembele won the most recent edition of the prize after spearheading PSG’s march to the Champions League and Ligue 1 titles last season. The Frenchman was reinvented by a change of position under Luis Enrique, scoring 35 goals and providing 14 assists in 2024-25.

Vitinha finished third in the standings, with Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal second.

With the World Cup to come in 2026, a strong performance from Portugal in North America would undoubtedly help the midfielder’s case come the end of the year.

PSG look well placed to challenge for the Champions League again this season. They remain big favourites for the Ligue 1 title too, although their lead at the top is just two points over Marseille and Lens.