Ousmane Dembele vs Lamine Yamal: Paul Pogba Picks His Ballon d’Or Winner
- The 2025 Ballon d'Or race is between Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal
- Dembele helped PSG win their first UEFA Champions League as part of a treble, while Yamal helped Barca win three trophies
- Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has shared his thoughts on the deserved winner of the award this year
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has picked his preferred winner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or between Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal.
The Golden Ball award ceremony is getting close, with the nominees expected to be announced on August 7, while the ceremony will be held on September 22.
Source: Getty Images
PSG star Dembele and Barcelona youngster Yamal are the frontrunners. Raphinha, Mohamed Salah and others are also in the picture.
Pogba picks Ballon d'Or winner
Pogba, who recently joined AS Monaco after his doping ban ended, has sided with his compatriot Dembele to win the coveted prize over Yamal.
“It’s not about that [choosing Dembele because he is French]," he told iShowSpeed during an interview as quoted by TNT Sports.
“It is my opinion that Ousmane Dembele will always be a bit ahead of Lamine Yamal [this year], even if he killed it this year, because he won the UEFA Champions League."
The former Juventus star added that this is Dembele’s year, and he might never have a better year or the chances of winning it again.
“He was so important, scoring goals in big games and doing stuff like that. This is his year; if he does not win it now, he will never win it. So I will definitely go for [Dembele]. That is what I think,” he added.
“It can go both ways, though, but that is what I think. It does not really matter what I think; I think about what they are going to say.”
Pogba added that Dembele’s PSG teammates Vitinha and Achraf Hakimi, and his France national teammate Kylian Mbappe, are his picks to join Yamal and Dembele in the top five.
Comparing Dembele and Yamal in 2025/25
As noted by Transfermarkt, Dembele scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists to help PSG win the quadruple under Luis Enrique in the 2024/25 season.
Source: Getty Images
He was named Ligue 1’s best player with 21 goals and eight assists in 29 games and also scored in the French Cup and Super Cup finals.
Yamal scored a decent 18 goals and 25 assists to help Barcelona win all three domestic trophies in Hansi Flick's first season at the Spanish giants.
His performances in the UEFA Champions League, particularly in the 7-6 aggregate loss against Inter Milan in the semifinal, stood out.
Dembele reclaims Ballon d'Or top spot
Legit.ng reported that Dembele reclaimed top spot in Ballon d'Or rankings, having previously lost it to Yamal after the FIFA Club World Cup final.
The France international is expected to win the prize at the Theatre du Chatelet on September 22, and the Club World Cup is unlikely to change it.
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Source: Legit.ng
