Ballon d’Or 2025 Leak Sparks Drama Before the Gala
Paris is buzzing tonight, because the Ballon d’Or 2025 is about to be handed out at the Thé'stre du Ch'stelet. But before the red carpet is even rolled out, a storm has already hit the football world: rumors are spreading that the winner may have been leaked ahead of the ceremony.
A French journalist, Romain Collet-Gaudin, claims that Ousmane Dembélé, the 28-year-old winger from Paris Saint-Germain, will be the one lifting the famous golden trophy. If true, it would be the first Ballon d’Or of his career. And to be fair, his season was nothing short of spectacular. Thirty-five goals, sixteen assists, and a leadership role in guiding PSG to a historic quadruple — winning the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions — plus the UEFA Super Cup on top. Those numbers and trophies make his case very strong.
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But not everyone is convinced. Spanish journalist Edu Aguirre has voiced a completely different prediction: he believes Lamine Yamal of Barcelona will win instead. His reasoning? While Barça didn’t win the Champions League and there was no World Cup to shape the voting, Yamal’s rise has been extraordinary. Still, Aguirre himself admitted that if logic were applied strictly, the winner should come from PSG — and that means the debate really should be between Dembélé, Vitinha, and Achraf Hakimi, who all played key roles in Paris dominating European football this season.
Other names are still in the mix too, at least on paper. Mohamed Salah from Liverpool, Raphinha from Barcelona, and even Kylian Mbappé, now playing for Real Madrid, have been mentioned as outsiders. Yet, what makes this year unusual is that, according to Spanish outlet Marca , no players were informed ahead of time. That is a change from 2024, when Rodri’s victory was leaked early, causing Real Madrid to boycott the ceremony in protest, arguing Vinícius Jr. should have won.
For Dembélé, if tonight truly becomes his night, the award would symbolize more than just his current brilliance. It would be the culmination of a rollercoaster career. From his breakthrough at Rennes, to a brilliant spell at Borussia Dortmund, to a record transfer to Barcelona where injuries and inconsistency haunted him — and finally, his resurgence after returning to France with PSG in 2023. Since then, he has flourished, and alongside his club success, he can point to his 2018 World Cup title with France as part of an already glittering career.
The big question remains: has the biggest secret in football really slipped out early? Or will the gala still surprise us? By the end of tonight, we’ll know whether Ousmane Dembélé’s name is added to the legendary list of Messi, Ronaldo, Benzema, Modric, and Rodri — the icons who have defined the last decade of the Ballon d’Or.
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