Rodri delivers his verdict on the Ballon d’Or battle between Barcelona and PSG stars – ‘On sporting merit…’

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·6 September 2025

Rodri delivers his verdict on the Ballon d’Or battle between Barcelona and PSG stars – ‘On sporting merit…’

The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony saw Manchester City and Spain midfield superstar Rodri get crowned the best footballer on the planet, ahead of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr.

Now, with the revelation of the winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or less than a month away, the current holder of the prize has given his verdict on who could come out on top.

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Rodri’s pick for Ballon d’Or

As has already been well-established at this point, the battle for the Ballon d’Or seems to be between Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal and PSG superstar Ousmane Dembele.

Lamine’s teammate, Pedri, and Dembele’s partner-in-crime, Vitinha, are also contenders, albeit not considered outright favourites.

Rodri, when asked who he thinks will win the Golden Orb this year, was split between the Barça duo and the PSG pair.

“The Ballon d’Or is difficult. PSG has been the team of the season, and it would be hard not to give it to someone from that team. I’m happy for Luis Enrique,” the Manchester City superstar said.

Rodri thinks highly of Lamine and Pedri. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Continuing, Rodri added: “I’d like to see it go to Lamine or Pedri, but on sporting merit, it’s Dembele or Vitinha.”

Talking about the advice he had given Lamine after Spain’s Euro triumph last year, where he was caught on camera telling the youngster to “Keep working because you can achieve anything you want,” Rodri elaborated:

“I didn’t want to be caught on camera. It’s a bit of a reflection of the fact that they have to put their enormous talent at the service of the team and football.

“We’ve seen many cases like this fall by the wayside. Lamine is an extraordinary talent and an exceptional case. I see him happy and doing things well.”

Rodri’s words came at a press conference as Spain get set to take on Turkey in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Sunday, with Lamine expected to be fit and available after recovering from a minor back problem.

Source: AS