Zlatan Ibrahimovic: ‘I would have given the Ballon d’Or to Lamine Yamal’ | OneFootball

It has been a little under a month since the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony took place in Paris, where Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal finished second in the final rankings, being edged out by PSG winger Ousmane Dembele.

The 18-year-old wonderkid did win the Kopa Trophy at the ceremony, for the second time in a row, but the Golden Orb slipped out of his hands – something that many notable figures did not agree with.

Former Barcelona manager and club legend Xavi Hernandez has already come out and stated that Lamine deserved to win the Ballon d’Or.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Lamine should have won

Now, another former Barcelona player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has come out and voiced his opinion on the Ballon d’Or.

Lamine finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The mercurial former striker stated that the prize should be handed based on a player’s ability to stand out and make a difference, and in his eyes, Lamine was the deserved winner.

“You have to judge the player on his ability to make a difference individually. For me, Yamal did. I would have given it to Yamal,” the former Swedish international told Gazzetta dello Sport.

While the prize might not have ended up coming home, Lamine finishing second in the Ballon d’Or rankings, in only his second full season at the highest level, at the age of only 18 years, is no mean feat.

Without a doubt, if the La Masia graduate continues on the same path, he will not win one but many Ballon d’Or awards in the future.

For now, the 18-year-old will be focused on recovering from his pubic discomfort in time for Barcelona’s upcoming La Liga game against Girona after the international break.