2025 Ballon d’Or: What does PSG’s UEFA Super Cup win mean for Ousmane Dembele in battle against Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal?
The 2025 Ballon d’Or race is shaping up to become unlike any in recent memory. Once again, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo is among the 30 nominees. The field is wide open, and a generational shift is unfolding before our eyes. Two names dominate the conversation: Ousmane Dembele, a revitalized Paris Saint-Germain forward, and Lamine Yamal, Barcelona’s prodigious teenage star.
The 69th Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on September 22, 2025, crowning the successor to last year’s winner, Rodri. With no clear historical heavyweight in the mix, the award’s criteria — individual performance, team achievements, and class/fair play — will be more decisive than ever.
What makes this edition so intriguing is the contrast between the two leading contenders. On one side stands Dembele, a 28-year-old who has evolved from an inconsistent winger into one of Europe’s most devastating central strikers. On the other is Yamal, just 18 years old, already a treble winner with Barcelona, and a symbol of the sport’s future.
As Article 4 of the award rules states, “The Ballon d’Or is awarded based on three main criteria: 1. Individual performance and decisive, impressive character. 2. Team achievements and honors. 3. Class and fair play.” The reference period, from August to July, ensures that both club and international form count equally.
Major competitions in this window, including the UEFA Champions League, Euro 2024, Copa America 2024, and the Nations League, carry particular weight. Recent history shows that those who excel in both domestic and international arenas tend to prevail. In this context, both Dembele and Yamal have the credentials. PSG’s dominance in France and Europe has been mirrored by Barcelona’s domestic supremacy. The deciding factor, however, may come down to decisive moments in the biggest games.
The night that could define Dembele’s year
The mystery surrounding PSG’s recent UEFA Super Cup win lies in what it means for Dembele’s Ballon d’Or ambitions. Facing Tottenham at Stadio Friuli in Udine, PSG found itself two goals down late in the game. With six minutes left in regulation, Lee Kang-in halved the deficit. Then, deep into stoppage time, Goncalo Ramos met Dembele’s inch-perfect cross to equalize.
The match went to penalties. The Frenchman not only converted his spot kick but was also named Man of the Match. His performance didn’t just win a trophy; it added yet another decisive chapter to a staggering season that already includes Ligue 1, the Champions League, the French Cup, and the French Super Cup. The only missing piece was the FIFA Club World Cup, narrowly lost to Chelsea.
For the Parisians, the Super Cup was “a big psychological impulse at the start of the season”, as French media put it. For Dembele, it was further proof of his ability to change a match’s destiny in its dying moments.
Numbers speak for themselves
In 2025, Dembele has been relentless: 37 goals and 15 assists in 60 matches across all competitions. No player in Europe’s top five leagues has matched his combined goal and assist tally. Luis Enrique’s decision to reposition him as a central striker has transformed the Frenchman into a Ballon d’Or frontrunner and a potential sixth French winner of the award after Kopa, Platini, Papin, Zidane, and Benzema.
On the other side of the battle stands Lamine Yamal, Barcelona’s 18-year-old phenomenon. Fresh off winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup, and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, Yamal amassed 21 goals and 22 assists in 62 matches. Already the 2024 Kopa Trophy winner, he could become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in history.
His style — fearless dribbling, incisive passing, and composure far beyond his years — has electrified Barcelona’s attack. While he lacks Dembele’s extensive trophy haul this season, his influence and future potential could sway voters seeking a symbolic passing of the torch.