Was giving the 2025 Ballon d'Or to Dembele a mistake?

The 2025 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony concluded with Ousmane Dembele winning the men's category. Dembele's victory over Lamine Yamal for the most prestigious individual award in world football has sparked controversy.

Based on his performances, does Dembele deserve the award more than Lamine Yamal?

With no major international tournament for the men's national team in the 2024/25 season and no single player truly dominating in terms of individual performance at the highest level, Dembele emerged as the chosen one. At 28, he was joint top scorer for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2024/25 Champions League knockout rounds with four goals. Two of those were crucial goals against Liverpool and Arsenal, but the other two came against Brest.

Domestically, Dembele shone in a league where PSG leveraged their superior financial resources to dominate Ligue 1 rivals in matches that were largely uncompetitive.

Argumentative

This achievement becomes less convincing when compared to the fact that legends like Xavi Hernandez, Andrés Iniesta, Thierry Henry, Paolo Maldini, and currently Robert Lewandowski, Mohamed Salah, and Erling Haaland, have never won the Ballon d'Or in this millennium.

Part of it is due to the luck of each year, when they have to face such strong opponents. Another part is due to the ongoing debate about the true meaning of the award: whether it is a title for the “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) or to honor the “Best Player in the World ” in terms of talent.

Of course, this is not meant to be disrespectful to Dembele, as he has legitimate reasons for his recognition. However, the French striker's victory did not feel overwhelming or truly convincing in the history of football.

Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old Barcelona star, is considered a far more suitable candidate for this award. He is recognized as the most talented player in the world today, showcasing superior skill with moves that his peers can hardly imagine.

Is Yamal a talented Dembele?

More importantly, Yamal accomplished this in the biggest matches. Barcelona's defeat to Inter Milan in last season's emotional Champions League semi-final wasn't Yamal's fault, because football is still a team sport .

Is Yamal more deserving?

Conversely, Dembele's victory seems to have been driven by PSG's collective success, particularly their Champions League win. There have even been arguments that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the more influential player in PSG's campaign.

If we only consider the glamour of the Champions League, choosing Dembele could reflect a shift in the Ballon d'Or – from a traditionally solemn award to an event focused on glitz and ostentation.

This is evidenced by the changing shape of the trophy, from the humble sphere that Johan Cruyff and George Best once lifted, to a more magnificent symbol in recent years.

It's worth remembering that in the women's category, Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona won her third consecutive Ballon d'Or, beating Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo. As the best player in the world, Bonmati demonstrated exceptional class with unique skills in big matches.

Dembele benefited from a season in which PSG played exceptionally well.

Although the Barcelona women's team lost to Arsenal and the Spanish national team lost to England in the finals, Bonmati is not to blame. She was the most important factor in leading the team to those matches.

Today's victory places Bonmati among the legends of women's football, but it also highlights a paradox in the voting process. Her failure to win the biggest team award seems to have made it easier for Bonmati to win in the women's category, while Yamal – who also made outstanding individual contributions but lacked a Champions League title – did not receive the same favoritism in the men's category.

One question arises: was Yamal overlooked because he was too young? If he had won, he would have been the first teenager to win the Ballon d'Or. However, in a direct comparison, Yamal demonstrated a higher level of skill than Dembele and made a more outstanding contribution, even though his team did not win the Champions League.

The biggest difference lies in the fact that Dembele's PSG won the final, but that wasn't enough to mask the gap in individual performances between the two players.

Prior to the gala, rumors circulated suggesting that PSG and Dembele's agent were lobbying for the award, a trend that has become increasingly evident over the seasons. This inadvertently overshadowed Dembele's victory, which lacked conviction.

Source: https://znews.vn/trao-qua-bong-vang-2025-cho-dembele-la-sai-lam-post1587488.html