The stage is about for soccer’s most prestigious particular person award, and the talk is heating up. Because the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony attracts close to, all eyes are on Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, two gamers who’ve outlined the 2024-25 season with brilliance and drama. The award will crown the very best participant on this planet subsequent Monday, however within the build-up, one remark from a PSG official has added much more intrigue — a pointy response to comparisons between the 2 stars that has followers buzzing.
Ousmane Dembele’s 2024-25 marketing campaign has been nothing wanting historic. The 28-year-old winger led PSG to their first-ever UEFA Champions League triumph, scoring 35 targets and offering 16 assists throughout all competitions. He thrived as a false 9 underneath Luis Enrique, producing decisive performances on the largest phases, together with the Champions League knockout rounds.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, simply 18, has been equally sensational in a really completely different manner. {The teenager} delivered 18 targets and 25 assists because the driving pressure of Barca’s home treble — La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Tremendous Cup. His capability to carry out in clutch moments, notably towards high opponents, has turned him into one of the thrilling younger gamers on this planet.
The Ballon d’Or has at all times been greater than a trophy — it shapes careers and narratives. If Dembele wins, it might cement his place among the many greats and cap off PSG’s historic treble season. If Yamal claims it, it might mark the start of a brand new period in world soccer, crowning him the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in historical past.
Each gamers could have the possibility to show their level on the pitch later this season. Barcelona and PSG are set to fulfill within the UEFA Champions League group stage on October 1, a matchup that guarantees to increase this rivalry past the gala night time.
What did Luis Campos say?
It was PSG’s sporting director, Luis Campos, who poured gasoline on the fireplace forward of subsequent Monday’s gala and their direct conflict. Talking on RMC Sport, Campos dismissed the rising comparisons between Yamal and Dembele with a blunt, five-word takedown that left no room for misinterpretation.
“We’re taking a look at Lamine Yamal as an enormous participant for the longer term. However we’re speaking a couple of very particular season. The document has been decisive in all of the earlier years, and what has Lamine Yamal gained? La Liga,” the 61-year-old stated.
Campos went additional, insisting that if the Frenchman doesn’t win the award, it might imply “the voters would clearly not be competent to vote for this prestigious trophy.” Robust phrases — and a transparent assertion of the Parisians’ perception that their star ahead deserves the consideration past debate.
