Zlatan Ibrahimović admitted he would have given the 2025 Ballon d’Or to Lamine Yamal over Ousmane Dembélé, saying the former made more of an individual difference.
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award given each year in soccer. Dembélé won the 2025 honor after guiding Paris Saint-Germain to their first Champions League trophy. Though, Ibrahimović, formerly of Barcelona, PSG and Manchester United, would have given it to the 18-year-old phenom.
Both players were widely considered the two favorites coming into the ceremony, though Ibrahimović would have rewritten history if he was the determining vote.
“You have to judge the player on his ability to make a difference individually. For me, Yamal did. I would have given it to Yamal,” Ibrahimović said to at the Festival dello Sport di Trento.
