Every child dreams of becoming a soccer player, and once they achieve that dream, it’s impossible not to think about winning the Ballon d’Or. Being the best player in the world is a very ambitious challenge that is within the reach of very few, even fewer when you have developed your professional career at the same time as Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. No mortal, except Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, has been able to break the hegemony that the Argentine and Portuguese players had, but now, although they are still active, a new era began last year, and in this edition, Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé are the favorites, although there are others among the candidates to win the award presented by the prestigious French magazine France Football.
As usual, fans of the beautiful game are beginning the debate about who deserves to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, which recognizes the best soccer player of the past season. Two names seem to stand out above the rest: Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé. We mustn’t forget Raphinha, who had a spectacular season with Barcelona, but Pedri González is also in the running, continuing to perform at a spectacular level. His teammate Szczesny has said he has never seen a player like him.
It will be next Monday, September 22, when the Ballon d’Or will be presented at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris at a gala attended by all the big names. It should be remembered that the last time this event was held, there was considerable controversy over the last-minute absence of Real Madrid, as the Concha Espina club decided not to attend when they learned that Vinicius was not going to win the award. At the Santiago Bernabéu, they felt that the Brazilian was the clear winner, and after Rodri won the vote, they decided to snub the organization.
Lamine Yamal wants his Ballon d’Or
The 17-year-old footballer continues to surprise everyone every time he steps onto the pitch. He was one of the leaders of Barcelona in the treble won by Hansi Flick’s team, but he fell just short of the UEFA Nations League, as the Spanish national team lost the final to Portugal on penalties. No one doubts that, if he continues like this, Lamine Yamal will win a Ballon d’Or or two, but at the same time, many experts say he needs time.
As we mentioned earlier, Raphinha and Pedri are also among the candidates to win the Ballon d’Or awarded by France Football, which could end up dividing the vote as they are all Barcelona players. This would mean that Lamine Yamal would not have the consensus of having been the leader of the Barcelona team, and if many points are shared between them, the young winger’s candidacy would lose strength.
Dembélé, one step away from the Ballon d’Or
On the other hand, Ousmane Dembélé is beginning to gain ground as the clear favorite to win the Ballon d’Or in September. The Frenchman has had a spectacular season at PSG, where he seems to have put behind him the serious injury problems that have always plagued him. He was one of the big stars in the historic first Champions League won by Luis Enrique’s side, who beat Inter Milan in the final.
Now he is also close to winning a new title for the Parc des Princes club in the 2025 Club World Cup. El Mosquito will try to guide his team to victory against Chelsea in New York to prove that PSG is currently the team in the best form. That trophy could put an end to the debate about the winner of the Ballon d’Or, leaving Ousmane Dembélé as the leading candidate.