Zlatan Ibrahimović admitted he would have handed the 2025 Ballon d’Or to Lamine Yamal instead of Ousmane Dembélé, saying the teenager made more of an individual difference.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport at the Festival dello Sport di Trento, the former PSG and Barcelona star said: “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.”
– ADEVERTISEMENT –
Dembélé won the award after leading Paris Saint-Germain to their first-ever Champions League title, finishing the season with 35 goals and 16 assists as part of a historic quadruple.
Yamal, meanwhile, recorded 18 goals and 25 assists as Barcelona secured a domestic treble. Despite losing out on the main prize, the 18-year-old claimed his second consecutive Kopa Trophy, becoming the first player to do so.
“God’s plan is perfect, you have to climb to get to the top,” Yamal said after the ceremony. “Happy for the Kopa trophy x2 and congratulate Dembélé for the award and the great season.”
– ADEVERTISEMENT –
Yamal has made it clear he’s aiming even higher. “I don’t dream about winning a Ballon d’Or,” he previously said. “I dream about winning many.”
Dembélé ultimately earned 73 first-place votes to Yamal’s 11, with both players finishing as the only ones to surpass 1,000 total points.