Ronaldo, Mbappe Snub Lamine Yamal, Reveal Their Picks for 2025 Ballon d’Or | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé overlooked Lamine Yamal when sharing their thoughts on the next winner of the Ballon d’Or.

Following the conclusion of the 2024–25 season, Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal emerged as the two favorites for the 2025 Ballon d’Or. Dembélé led Paris Saint-Germain to a historic quadruple that included the club’s first-ever Champions League title, while 17-year-old Yamal shined for Barcelona on their way to a domestic treble.

Picking between the two players for the most prestigious award in the sport will be a tough decision for most, but for Mbappé, the choice is not a difficult one.

“Would I vote for Dembélé [to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or]? Yes. I don’t think it needs much explaining,” Mbappé said. “People are talking about Lamine Yamal and Dembélé, but my choice is clear: I vote for Dembélé.”

Dembélé capped off his career-best season with 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances. The Frenchman was especially instrumental in PSG’s Champions League-winning campaign, in which he recorded 14 goal contributions, including two assists in the final against Inter Milan.

Mbappé has seen Dembélé’s skill up close; he was previously teammates with the 28-year-old at PSG before making the move to Real Madrid last summer. Despite their different clubs, the two players remain teammates on the France national team.

The Real Madrid forward has also witnessed the greatness of Yamal over the last year, playing against one another for their clubs and countries. Most recently, the two battled in the UEFA Nations League semifinals, where Yamal’s brace helped lift Spain to a thrilling 5–4 victory over France.

Still, Mbappé is backing his fellow countryman, and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo hinted that he favors Dembélé as well.

“In my opinion, whoever wins it should be on a team that has won trophies. The Ballon d’Or winner should be in a team that has won the Champions League,” Ronaldo said.

By that standard, Ronaldo would view Dembélé as the favorite to take home the award. After all, Yamal and Barcelona were eliminated in the Champions League semifinals by the eventual runners-up, Inter Milan.

Ronaldo further claimed that the Ballon d’Or has “lost its value” in recent years, though, and issued the following praise for the Barcelona winger: “Lamine Yamal is doing very well, taking advantage of his talent. Let the kid grow. Don’t put too much pressure on him. Let him be and grow well, take the pressure off. He has no shortage of talent.”