)
Ousmane Demebele and Lamine Yamal are on course for one of the fiercest Ballon d'Or battles in recent history, but here are three reasons why the Barcelona youngster should edge the PSG superstar to the title
Both Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele have had stunning seasons for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively.
Yamal helped Barcelona claim a domestic treble, winning LaLiga, Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa, while Dembele helped PSG win an amazing quadruple, including PSG’s first-ever Champions League title.
Neither player would be an undeserving winner, but there are three reasons why Yamal should win the Ballon d'Or over Dembele:
Yamal has been the more consistent performer all season
When evaluating greatness, consistency often becomes the deciding factor. While Ousmane Dembele did enjoy a tremendous season at Paris Saint-Germain, much of his performance came in concentrated bursts rather than a season-long display of dominance.
)
Dembele was hit and miss for most of the first part of the season, prompting Luis Enrique’s decision to move him centrally in mid-December.
The switch worked wonders as Dembele exploded with 18 goals in just 10 matches. However, that purple patch accounts for over half his total goal output and was not sustained across the entire campaign. In contrast, Lamine Yamal offered a more balanced, steady presence for Barcelona.
)
Week in, week out, he delivered moments of quality, creativity, and influence whether or not he ended up on the scoresheet, regardless of the competition.
Unlike Dembele, who faded slightly during the season's climax, scoring one goal in the last 10 games of the season, during the final push for trophies or the business end of the season, Yamal maintained his influence right up until the final whistle of the last trophy-winning game.
)
It is this steadiness under pressure that separates good players from great ones, and in a season where the margin between candidates is razor-thin, Yamal’s season-long excellence should give him the edge in Ballon d’Or discussions.
Yamal has the more compelling story of the two
Every Ballon d’Or race needs more than numbers. Like Messi showed in 2022 after winning the World Cup, it needs a narrative, a legacy in the making.
)
While Ousmane Dembele’s rise from Barcelona reject to Parisian superstar has been nothing short of inspirational, Lamine Yamal’s journey feels even more compelling.
At just 17 years old, Yamal is rewriting history with every performance. The youngest player to ever score in a European Championship semifinal among many other records, Yamal is also on pace to become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in the award’s history, surpassing Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário.
Yamal could become the first teenager to win the award as the start of a legacy rivalling anything we have seen in football.
)
With the final of the UEFA Nations League and the Finalissima coming up, Yamal also has the potential to beat both Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in the same stretch as a sort of passing of the torch from two of the greats of the last generation to the next generation’s best player.
Yamal wins the eye test
After the Messi-Ronaldo era, fans have clamoured for a shift from using only goals and assists numbers to judge ability to a more visual estimation of the best players in the world.
)
Fans and pundits now crave artistry, flair, and players who electrify with every touch of the ball. In that regard, Lamine Yamal is football’s crown jewel.
When you watch him play, it becomes immediately clear why he stands apart. His dribbling, vision, first touch, and control under pressure have been simply breathtaking throughout the 2024/25 season.
)
That’s not to say Yamal doesn’t have the numbers behind him as well. The young Barcelona winger has matched his style with substance, producing 18 goals and a stunning 25 assists for a total of 43 direct goal involvements, including four penalties won for his team.
That figure trails Dembele’s tally of 48 by just five contributions, and considering Dembele’s numbers are inflated by one explosive 10-game spell, Yamal’s output over the season looks even more impressive.
)
The statistical difference between the pair is not so substantial, and if the football world is serious about bringing back the era of aesthetically pleasing footballers, they have to reward the player that fans, pundits, and even players agree has been magic on the ball this season with the Ballon d’Or.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)