“For me, it’s clear” - Sergio Ramos snubs Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele as he picks 2025 Ballon d'Or winner
Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos picked Los Blancos striker Kylian Mbappe for this year's Ballon d'Or ahead of PSG's Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal.
Mbappe enjoyed a successful first season at the Santiago Bernabeu but didn't win any silverware. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner netted 43 times and registered five assists in 56 games across competitions, but Madrid only won the UEFA Super Cup at the start of the campaign.
Meanwhile, the two other Ballon d'Or contenders - Dembele and Yamal - won major silverware. Dembele had 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 outings across competitions as the Parisians won the quadruple. Meanwhile, Yamal bagged 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 matches across competitions as Barca clinched the domestic treble.
Nevertheless, Ramos reckons despite Mbappe not winning major silverware unlike the other contenders, he bagged a slew of individual honours like the Pichichi and deserves the Ballon d'Or (as per Marca via Madrid Xtra):
"Kylian Mbappé for the Ballon D'Or? For me, it's clear. The Pichichi, the Golden Boot, but Real Madrid didn't win titles that other teams did. They're individual awards, but there are players who have won leagues, cups ... if it were up to me, Mbappé would have four or five Ballon d'Ors at home."
The Frenchman scored 31 times to win the Pichichi, but Madrid's La Liga title defence was ended by Barcelona.
How did Ballon d'Or contenders Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele fare in Nations League Finals?
Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal had decent UEFA Nations League Finals campaigns for Spain in 2025. Luis de la Fuente's side reached the final but lost to Portugal on penalties.
La Roja led 2-1 at the break in the Munich title match before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised for Portugal from the spot just past the hour mark. The game eventually went to penalties, where Roberto Martinez's converted all five spot-kicks, winning 5-3.
Both Yamal and Dembele didn't have a goal contribution in the final defeat. However, Yamal scored thrice in four games, including twice in La Roja's 5-4 semi-final win over France. Meanwhile, Ballon d'Or contender Dembele lone goal in the Nations League Finals came in the quarter-final second-leg win over Croatia.
