Dembele - No. 1 candidate for the 2025 Ballon d'Or

Dembele became the leading candidate for this year's Ballon d'Or after his excellent performance in the Champions League final in the early morning of June 1.

Dembele is the leading candidate for the 2025 Ballon d'Or award - Photo: REUTERS

Dembele's double assist contributed greatly to Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) 5-0 victory over Inter Milan, creating the Champions League final with the biggest score difference in history.

This brilliant performance not only helped PSG win the most prestigious tournament in Europe for the first time, but also made Dembele a leading candidate for this year's Ballon d'Or.

There will be no major international tournaments in 2025 (like the World Cup or Euros), meaning club performance will be the main factor in deciding the Ballon d'Or winner. With PSG winning a historic treble this season of the Champions League, Ligue 1 and Coupe de France, Dembele is in a strong position.

According to Opta, the former Barcelona star has directly contributed to 12 goals in PSG's 2024-25 Champions League campaign (nine goals and three assists). His brilliant form is reminiscent of Karim Benzema's performance when he won the Ballon d'Or in 2022.

Dembele has also been brilliant in the Champions League knockout stages, scoring against Liverpool in the round of 16, scoring twice against Brest in the play-offs, providing two assists in the quarter-finals against Aston Villa and scoring and assisting in both semi-final matches against Arsenal. The highlight was two decisive assists in the final against Inter Milan, helping PSG make history on the morning of June 1.

Not only did he explode in the Champions League, Dembele also maintained his top form on all fronts. He scored a total of 30 goals in all competitions in the 2024-2025 season, notably a streak of 24 goals in 18 matches from December 2024 to March 2025. Before that, he also scored a hat-trick against Stuttgart, scoring against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the qualifying round.

With what he has shown, Dembele has truly emerged as the brightest candidate for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, surpassing other potential names such as Barcelona's Lamine Yamal or Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe.

The 69th Ballon d'Or awards ceremony will take place on September 22, 2025 at the Thâtre du Chatelet in Paris.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dembele-ung-cu-vien-so-1-cho-qua-bong-vang-2025-2025060111130322.htm