Lamine Yamal: Barcelona Star Wins ‘Golden Ball’ Ahead of Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe
- Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has been announced the winner of the 'Golden Ball' ahead of Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele
- The 18-year-old made it to the final of the 2025 UEFA Nations League, losing to Portugal in the final
- Yamal had a wonderful 2024/25 season, winning a domestic double with Spanish giants Barcelona
Lamine Yamal has been named the 'Golden Ball' winner by CIES Football Observatory on Monday, September 22.
The 18-year-old is not one of the top contenders for the Ballon d'Or coming up on Monday night.
Real Madrid Star Kylian Mbappe finished runner-up after emerging the highest goal scorer in the Spanish La Liga last season.
Source: Getty Images
In third position is Barcelona star Pedri, who had an impressive performance with his country and club.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, who was instrumental to the Reds winning their 20th EPL title, placed fourth position while Bayern Munich playermaker Michael Olise completed the top five, per Goal.
Ballon d'Or favourite, Ousname Dembele settled for seventh place according to CIES.
Lamine's performance in 2024/25 season
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal is regarded as the most exciting player in the world due to his style of play.
According to Yard Barker, CIES choice was based on performance data in six key areas, factoring on-field engagements.
Yamal stole the spotlight in every match he played, including winning every El Clásico match against 15-time European winners Real Madrid.
Source: Getty Images
The Spanish international produced a magical performance in the UEFA Champions League but was eventually edged out by Inter Milan in the semifinals.
Yamal was impressive during the UEFA Nations League, consistently giving defenders trouble and carrying Spain to the final but surrendered to Portugal in an intense final.
Ballon d'Or results leaked
A Madrid-based journalist, Edu Aguirre, claimed to have seen the leaked document that showed Lamine Yamal won the award.
According to Tribuna, Aguirre explained that the Barcelona star won the 2025 Ballon d'Or by just five points over Barcelona teammate Raphinha. He said:
"I think Lamine Yamal has won the Ballon d'Or. This is absolutely devastating for Ousmane. After the season he's had, it's heartbreaking."
Yamal reportedly earned 805 points, narrowly edging out Raphinha, who had 800, to become one of the youngest Ballon d’Or winners. Ousmane Dembele followed in third with 742 points.
Reports also suggest that at least 20 family members will accompany the Barcelona star to the ceremony, a strong indication that he may indeed take home the award.
The 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for Monday night, September 22, at the prestigious Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
Barcelona stars to ignore Ballon d'Or ceremony
Legit.ng earlier reported that Barcelona’s build-up to the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony has taken an unexpected twist as star midfielder Pedri and striker Robert Lewandowski will not attend Monday night’s event in Paris.
The news comes amid widespread speculation after a leaked list of winners went viral over the weekend, reportedly revealing the top 10 finishers for the coveted award.
Source: Legit.ng
