Frank Leboeuf snubs Ousmane Dembele as he names his Ballon d'Or 2025 pick
Former player Frank Lebouef has backed Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d'Or this year. The ESPN pundit believes Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Ousmane Dembele is not the front-runner for the award and that the Barcelona star had a better season.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Lebouef said he is backing Yamal for the Ballon d'Or this year. PSG won the treble in the 2024-25 season. However, the 57-year-old does not think Dembele was the best player this term, despite scoring more goals than Yamal. He said (via Lamine Yamal Xtra's X handle):
"I don’t think Dembele will win the Ballon d’Or. I think Lamine Yamal will win it."
Dembele recorded 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 games for PSG, while Yamal registered 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 games for Barca in 2024-25.
The Barcelona star's agent, Jorge Mendes, has also backed the teenager to win the prestigious award this year. He recently opined that the 17-year-old deserves it. Mendes said (via TOI):
“He’s been the best in the world this season and that’s clear, so Ballon d’Or would be deserved. I hope he will be voted and will win as he’s been just fantastic, it’s also beautiful to see a 17-year-old doing this good for the future of the game”
Lamine Yamal played a key role under Hansi Flick this season, helping Barcelona win the Copa del Rey and LaLiga. Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembele won the treble with PSG, including the UEFA Champions League.
Lamine Yamal not bothered about Ballon d'Or
Lamine Yamal spoke to the media on Monday (June 2) and said he was not thinking about the Ballon d'Or. He added that it was not ideal for him to focus on the individual awards and said (via FootBoom):
"I keep the idea of the best player of the year to myself. In the end, I don’t think about whether I will win the trophy or not. It would be bad for me to think I need to win the Ballon d'Or. I focus on playing and winning, and it will come. If next year I win the Champions League and the World Cup, then it will come. I just want to enjoy it and let it arrive when it’s meant to."
"The award is for the best player of the year. I’m confident we will win on Thursday, but whether we do or not, I would vote for the best player of the year. Because if something happens to me or Dembele that day, who do you vote for? Someone playing the final Sunday? I believe in voting for the best player of the year, but if people want to take a risk on Thursday, then we’ll take that risk," he added.
Lamine Yamal is with the Spain squad this week. In the UEFA Nations League A Championship semifinal, they will take on France, who have called up Ousmane Dembele. The game will be played on Thursday (June 5).
