Zlatan Ibrahimovic says Lamine Yamal deserved the 2025 Ballon d’Or over Ousmane Dembele

Former Barcelona forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic said that Yamal’s individual brilliance made him the rightful winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal narrowly missed out on football’s most prestigious individual award.

The 18-year-old finished second behind PSG winger Ousmane Dembélé, despite enjoying a phenomenal season with both Barcelona and Spain.

While Yamal walked away with the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best under-21 player in the world, for the second consecutive year, many football icons have expressed their belief that the youngster should have gone one step further.

Former Barcelona forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who told Gazzetta dello Sport that Yamal’s individual brilliance made him the rightful winner.

“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,” Ibrahimovic said.

The Swedish legend’s opinion echoes that of Xavi Hernandez, Yamal’s former Barcelona coach, who earlier argued that the prodigy had outperformed Dembélé throughout the season and should have been crowned the world’s best player.