The 2025 Ballon d’Or will be awarded tonight in Paris, and all eyes are on Ousmane Dembele, the bookmakers’ favourite to claim football’s most prestigious individual prize.
The 28-year-old winger enjoyed a stunning campaign last season, delivering 43 goals and assists in 44 games as Paris Saint-Germain stormed to a historic treble: the Ligue 1 title, the Champions League, and the Coupe de France.
Dembele, however, will not be at the glitzy ceremony, as he is due to feature for PSG in their rescheduled Ligue 1 clash against Marseille.
His teammate and fellow nominee Kylian Mbappe has already thrown his support behind him, telling Telefoot: “If it were up to me, I’d deliver it to his house.”
The strongest competition is expected from Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who guided the Catalans to a domestic double with 18 goals and 25 assists at just 18 years old.
Other big contenders include Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, the Premier League’s top scorer and assist provider last season, and Napoli’s Scott McTominay, who was crowned Serie A Player of the Year after leading Napoli to the Scudetto.
Defending winner Rodri misses out from the shortlist due to injury setbacks, while PSG dominate the nominations with nine players from their treble-winning squad making the 30-man list.
With the world watching, tonight’s ceremony could mark the crowning moment of Dembele’s career.
