Dembele’s Productive 2024-25 Campaign Could Win Him the Ballon d’Or

The Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly over the Ballon d’Or has come to an end after Manchester City’s Rodri won it last year ahead of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham. Because Messi and Ronaldo are not getting any younger and Rodri suffered an ACL injury in the early part of the 2024-25 campaign, there’s a huge likelihood that we will crown a new winner in the next few weeks.

Choosing the Ballon d’Or winner is not as straightforward as most would think, as it is determined by several factors, such as their production, trophies won or challenged for, general form, and their signature moments.

So, who is in the running for this year’s Golden Ball? Without further ado, SBOTOP lists the Top 5 candidates for the prestigious individual award.

No.5: Raphinha (Barcelona)

After an up-and-down run during his first few years at Barcelona, Raphinha has found his groove under manager Hansi Flick. The Brazilian winger formed a robust strike partnership with Robert Lewandowski, and he hit incredible numbers in 2024-25, notching 34 goals and 25 assists in 57 games across all competitions.

Raphinha’s fine performances helped Barcelona win the La Liga and Copa del Rey trophies, and they also went undefeated against Real Madrid. They missed out on the Champions League crown after losing to Inter Milan in the semi-finals, which might hurt his case.

No. 4: Vitinha (PSG)

PSG won’t win the Champions League, Coupe de France, and Ligue 1 without their star midfielder Vitinha. Despite his modest totals of eight goals and five assists across 58 games in all competitions, he has been an integral cog for the Parisiens because he pulls the strings in the middle of the park, making them operate like a well-oiled machine. Vitinha, who arrived from Porto three years ago, has formed a solid partnership with Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, filling the void left by Marco Verratti, who left for Qatar.

An example of this was during last night’s 4-0 win against Real Madrid, where PSG outpassed their La Liga counterparts 384-95 in the first half and 631-255 overall. Vitinha completed 105 passes, including 11 long passes and 13 passes in the final third. He will be vital against Chelsea in this weekend’s final.

Vitinha also won the UEFA Nations League with Portugal a few weeks ago, and PSG advanced to the Club World Cup with his exploits. Winning another trophy would surely help his case.

No. 3: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Mohamed Salah entered the 2024-25 campaign with uncertainty because of his complicated contract situation and the fact that he had to work with a different manager. At the time, Salah’s contract was expiring, and the Reds’ front office was hesitant to give him a new deal because he was closer to the twilight of his football career.

However, the Egyptian winger silenced his skeptics by putting up a remarkable season, notching 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 games across all competitions. Because of this, Salah earned a new lucrative extension to stay in Merseyside.

While Salah remains one of the Premier League’s best players, his chances of winning his first Ballon d’Or have taken a hit following Liverpool’s premature exit from the Champions League and his lapse in form in the latter stages of this season.

No. 2: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)

Could Lamine Yamal become the first teenage winner of the Ballon d’Or? It’s certainly possible for him after what he has done for club and country this past year. 

Yamal helped Barcelona win multiple trophies this season and played a huge role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph and UEFA Nations League final run (before losing to Portugal). Overall, he produced 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 games across all competitions for Barcelona in 2024-25.

No. 1: Ousmane Dembele (PSG)

If you told us a few years ago that Ousmane Dembele would be a Ballon d’Or candidate, we wouldn’t believe you. After failing to live up to the hype in Barcelona, Dembele switched to PSG, and it has paid dividends.

According to the Ballon d’Or 2025 updates and Ballon d’Or 2025 odds, Dembele is the frontrunner for the Golden Ball, as he is the Parisiens’ main catalyst this season, notching 35 goals and 16 assists in 52 games across all competitions.

He also had his key moments, such as his early goals against Liverpool and Arsenal en route to winning the club’s first-ever Champions League and grabbing a goal against Real Madrid to help PSG advance to the Club World Cup final.

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This message was edited by SBOTOP on 10-Jul-2025 at 6:47 PM