With simply days remaining till the soccer world’s most glamorous night time in Paris, the race for world supremacy has taken a dramatic twist. Ousmane Dembele has narrowly overwhelmed Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal to a significant particular person accolade — an honor that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have lifted a number of occasions. The end result, determined by the slimmest of margins, has followers questioning if it is a glimpse of what’s to come back when the Ballon d’Or is unveiled later this month.
The Paris Saint-Germain star has simply accomplished what many are calling the best marketing campaign of his profession. Dembele scored 35 objectives and offered 16 assists in 53 matches throughout all competitions, guiding PSG to a historic quintuple — Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions, UEFA Tremendous Cup, and the Champions League. His decisive contributions in each spherical of the European marketing campaign, together with the ultimate, cemented his standing as some of the influential gamers within the sport in the present day.
Requested about his success, Dembele stated: “Because the begin of my profession, I haven’t modified in that regard. However currently, I’ve been talking effectively — particularly over these final three years with Paris Saint-Germain. It’s true that in Barcelona I didn’t speak a lot. That has all the time been my nature. I’ll repeat what I stated again then: it’s higher to talk on the pitch.”
The accolade in query was the 2025 Onze d’Or, a trophy offered yearly by French journal Onze Mondial to the most effective participant in European soccer. It has been awarded since 1976 and is set by fan votes, which makes its end result a powerful indicator of public sentiment forward of the Ballon d’Or.
Dembele edged Yamal with 32.5% of the vote, whereas the Barcelona teenager completed simply behind with 30%. Kylian Mbappe got here in third with 12.5%, adopted by Achraf Hakimi (7%). Pedri (5.6%) and Raphinha (4.7%) ensured Barca’s sturdy presence within the high six.
Yamal’s meteoric rise
At solely 18, Lamine Yamal has already turn out to be some of the influential figures in world soccer. His second-place end within the vote not solely underlines his performances on the pitch but additionally his skill to captivate followers globally. For Barcelona supporters, the end result was an indication that the “marvel boy” is on the cusp of his personal period of dominance.
The slender loss could sting, however it additionally fuels the narrative that Yamal may quickly be battling for soccer’s final particular person honor. His charisma and media presence make him a powerful candidate for the long run — and maybe even for the approaching Ballon d’Or resolution.
The Ballon d’Or awaits
The query now’s whether or not the fan-driven Onze d’Or foreshadows the decision of the Ballon d’Or, which is set by a jury of 100 journalists from FIFA’s top-ranked nations. Voting for that award has already closed, and the winner will likely be revealed on the gala on September 22 in Paris.
Dembele, at present recovering from an damage that can preserve him out of PSG’s conflict with Barcelona on October 1, is predicted to attend the ceremony with confidence after this newest recognition.
“The coach asks me to not give defenders or goalkeepers time to maneuver or assume,” the Frenchman added, crediting Luis Enrique for sharpening his tactical self-discipline. “Within the Champions League ultimate, I ran a lot — that made a distinction. It’s good, and we’ll preserve going on this course.”
