Ballon d'Or: Former L'Équipe Journalist Criticizes Hakimi’s Ranking | OneFootball

Hakimi left off the podium: Latour calls it a "scandal"

Achraf Hakimi / @x.com/lnstantFoot/

The results of the 2025 Ballon d'Or, published last Friday by France Football magazine, revealed that Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi (26) received 484 points in the journalists' vote.Despite an outstanding season with Paris Saint-Germain, Hakimi finished sixth among the top 30 players, a ranking that has triggered passionate reactions.Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé clinched the Ballon d'Or with 1,380 points, followed by Lamine Yamal (1,059 points). Vitinha claimed third spot with 703 points, Mohamed Salah finished fourth (657 points), and Raphinha took fifth (620 points).

In an interview with Canal Plus Foot, former L'Équipe journalist Bertrand Latour voiced his disbelief at Hakimi's sixth-place finish: "That Mohamed Salah finished ahead of him is a huge surprise... Hakimi was not recognized for his true worth."Latour added: "It's understandable that he might not win the Ballon d'Or. But for him not to be in the top three, we're not far from a scandal."