Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal are both in the running for the Ballon d’Or and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has now revealed who his vote is going to go later this year
Kylian Mbappe believes Mohamed Salah is NOT in the running for this year’s Ballon d’Or after confirming his pick for this year's top prize. The 2025 award already has a number of front-runners following a host of stunning campaigns.
Ousmane Dembele is among the favourites after a season in which he scored 33 goals as Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time. Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal is also among the contenders after a brilliant season for the Spanish giants.
Liverpool star Salah is also in the conversation after a standout personal campaign as the Reds lifted the Premier League title. But Mbappe neglected to mention the Egyptian as he revealed who his vote would go to right now - albeit he has warned that he could still change his mind.
As quoted by RMC Sport, he said: "Would I vote for Dembélé? Yes. Is there really any need to explain? We're talking about Yamal and Dembélé, I'm going for Dembélé. It's very clear!
"Things are evolving very quickly, as the last few winners have shown. We weren't talking about certain players who ultimately won. Is it September? A lot will happen between now and then, but today we're talking about Ousmane and Lamine. That's why I responded."
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has also recently given his verdict on the Ballon d’Or and specifically Yamal. He believes that it is slightly too early to put that kind of pressure on him but thinks the Barcelona man is firmly in the running.
Speaking at a Portugal press conference, Ronaldo said: "Lamine Yamal is doing very well, he is taking full advantage of his talent. Now let the kid grow and don’t put too much pressure on him. Let him be and let him grow well, take the pressure off him. He has no shortage of talent."
He added: "The individual awards have lost some consensus; I can’t say anything about who should win. In my opinion, those who stand out and win the Champions League should win. But there is no consensus.
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“I don’t believe much in individual awards because I know what goes on behind the scenes. Lamine could win, like Dembele or Vitinha, other emerging players… But individual awards are irrelevant."
The Ballon d’Or 2025 will be handed out in September in a glitzy ceremony in Paris, with the nominees set to be confirmed a month before. Manchester City midfielder Rodri is currently the holder having claimed last year’s award.