Claude Makelele, a former Chelsea midfielder, has snubbed Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and picked Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele as the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner.
The former France international believes Yamal still needs to prove himself, adding that the Spain winger is a kid.
Yamal and Dembele are two of the top contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
When asked for his opinion on who should win the top-individual prize, Makelele said (via Diario AS): “Dembele. Lamine still needs to prove himself over a longer period of time.
“Ousmane started earlier. If we give it to the young one, Lamine… (laughs).
“He needs to show more. Let him be, he is a kid, he is a talent. Don’t beat him up.”
Both Dembele and Yamal were impressive for their clubs last season.
Dembele won Treble – UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1 and French Cup – with PSG, while Yamal won LaLiga and Copa del Rey with Barcelona.
