“Having his best season so far” - Emmanuel Petit names his favorite to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or

Former French midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes Ousmane Dembele is the favourite to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or. During an appearance on talkSPORT, Petit snubbed Barcelona stars Raphinha and Lamine Yamal in favor of PSG's Dembele.

Ousmane Dembele has been in red-hot form in the ongoing campaign. In 45 appearances across competitions, the Frenchman has scored 33 goals and provided 12 assists. He also played a crucial role in the Parisians' Ligue 1 victory this term.

As a result, Petit has kept him ahead of the other potential winners. He said on the talkSPORT Breakfast Show:

"I think Dembele is having his best season so far. His name is on the Ballon d’Or at the end of the season."

In terms of statistics, Barcelona's Raphinha leads the race with 57 goal contributions this season. However, Dembele's chances of winning the coveted award would receive a significant boost if PSG win the UEFA Champions League.

Who are the other players in contention for the Ballon d'Or?

As per talkSPORT, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Barcelona's Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Pedri are in contention for the Ballon d'Or 2025. Real Madrid stars Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., and Jude Bellingham, and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane are also probable candidates.

Although Raphinha and Yamal have enjoyed a fantastic season, they exited the Champions League at the semifinal stage after a 7-6 aggregate defeat to Inter Milan.

On the other hand, Mohamed Salah is on the cusp of winning the Premier League Golden Boot with 28 goals. Real Madrid's Mbappe & Co. are yet to win a trophy, which makes bagging the accolade difficult for them.

Keeping all this in mind, Dembele emerges as the most favourable candidate to win the prestigious award. He will face Arsenal in the second-leg of the UCL semis on May 7 at the Parc des Princes after a 1-0 win at the Emirates. A win on aggregate will confirm their place in the final against Inter Milan.

To date, five French footballers have won the Ballon d'Or. Raymond Kopa won the award in 1958. The famous Kopa Award, given to the best U-21 player, is named after him.

However, the most successful French star in this regard is Michel Platini, who bagged the prize on three consecutive occasions between 1983 and 1985. French icon Zinedine Zidane (1998), Karim Benzema (2022), and Jean-Pierre Papin (1991) have won it once each.

About the author

Sattyik is a football writer at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience. He has completed his post-graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication (MA), and has previously worked for Khel Now and also Sportskeeda’s Indian Sports and Indian Football division.

Sattyik has been following the sport since his childhood as his parents are ardent Mohun Bagan supporters and also members of the club. He has, however, been supporting their rivals East Bengal since 2008. He was also part of a local football academy, specializing in central defense, but had to switch focus to studies. Among European teams, he follows Manchester United and their stalwart captain Nemanja Vidic.

Sattyik has interviewed multiple footballers like Alberto Noguera, Javier Siverio, Edu Bedia among others. He is always on the lookout for new stories and strives to share them within appropriate timelines.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho are Sattyik’s other favorite footballers. Among managers, he admires Sir Alex Ferguson, Xabi Alonso, Carlo Ancelotti, Johan Cruyff and Jose Mourinho because of their achievements and how they revolutionized the sport.

Sattyik was inspired by the grit and determination shown by Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final as they came back from 3-0 down against AC Milan to win the trophy. When not working, he enjoys his time with books and music.

Know More

Edited by Arshit Garg