Lamine Yamal Speaks About 2025 Ballon d’Or Ahead of Showdown With Ousmane Dembele

• The 2025 Ballon d'Or took a new twist after Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Champions League
• Ousmane Dembele became the leading favourite ahead of Barca stars Lamine Yamal and Raphinha
• Spanish youngster Yamal has shared his thoughts about the impending battle for the Golden Ball

Lamine Yamal has shared his thoughts about the 2025 Ballon d'Or after Ousmane Dembele became the leading favourite ahead of the showdown in October.

The race for the Ballon d'Or took a different twist on Saturday night after Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Champions League, beating Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich.

Barcelona stars Yamal and Raphinha were the favourites before the final after an impressive season, winning the La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup and reaching the Champions League semi-final.

Dembele had also been in the race throughout the season, having won the three domestic trophies with PSG, and his chances increased after winning the Champions League on Saturday night.

Yamal speaks about Ballon d'Or

Youngster Yamal has opened up about the Ballon d'Or stating his thoughts about it. He claimed he is only thinking about winning the next trophy.

“I don't think about the Ballon d'Or; I think you'll end up badly if you only think about that. I think about winning,” he said, as quoted by Mirror UK.

“Imagine if I win the World Cup and the UCL next year, then the Ballon d'Or will come by itself. But the most important thing is to enjoy football.”

Dembele and Yamal will meet in the UEFA Nations League semi-final on Thursday, and the Barcelona star is confident Spain will come out victorious.

“I am confident that we [Spain] will win on Thursday, but whether we win or not, I would still vote for the best player in the world,” he told COPE.

"If Thursday doesn’t go the way I want or Dembele wants, then what? You’re voting for someone else who plays on Sunday?

"I’m the kind of person who votes for the best player over the whole year. But if people want to risk it all on one game, well… we can play that game then.”

Some of the top names for the Ballon d'Or are done with their club seasons, including Mohamed Salah and Barcelona stars.

Real Madrid and PSG will play in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States of America, giving Dembele and Kylian Mbappe more chances at boosting their credentials.

Though he is the frontrunner, Dembele could do himself more good if he delivers a strong performance at the Club World Cup and if PSG go all the way.

Enrique backs Dembele to win Ballon d'Or

Legit.ng reported that Luis Enrique backed Ousmane Dembele to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or after playing a pivotal role in helping Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League.

The manager noted that his overall performance throughout the season, and particularly in the final, where he defended all through and showed leadership.

Source: Legit.ng