“I told my friends, I don’t dream about winning a Ballon d’Or, I dream about winning many,” Lamine Yamal unashamedly declared ahead of the 2025 ceremony.
Barcelona’s ambitious teenage prodigy was left disappointed at the Théâtre du Châtelet as he watched Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé collect the prize annually handed out by France Football to the standout footballer over the past year. Alongside the two leading contenders there were 2,000 of the best and brightest from around the game squashed into the Parisian opera house in their finest black-tie attire. Millions more watched the drama unfold on various streaming platforms as the results stand to be endlessly dissected and debated over the coming weeks, months and years.
