"If he doesn’t win it this year, he never will" - Paul Pogba makes bold 2025 Ballon d'Or prediction

Paul Pogba has backed Ousmane Dembele to win the Ballon d'Or this year. The believes that PSG stars Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha have been good this season, but the Frenchman deserves it.

Speaking to iShowSpeed, Pogba claimed that Dembele will never win the Ballon d'Or if he does not get it this year. He added that the Frenchman was crucial for PSG's UEFA Champions League triumph and said:

"I back Dembouz 100%, he won the UCL, he was crucial this season. If he doesn’t win it this year, he never will. Hakimi and Vitinha were great too. Dembélé is the favorite for the Ballon d'Or."

Pogba turned the question to iShowSpeed, and the streamer jokingly picked Manchester United star Harry Maguire in his top 3. He named PSG's Dembele and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal as his top picks before adding the Englishman.

"Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembel and Harry Maguire."

The Ballon d'Or gala is set for September 22nd, 2025, at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris. PSG stars are leading the chase despite falling short in the FIFA Club World Cup as they won the UEFA Champions League, Coupe de France and Ligue 1 title.

Former Arsenal star backs Ousmane Dembele for Ballon d'Or

Gael Clichy was on RMC Sport ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final when he claimed that Ousmane Dembele deserved the award. He said that the Frenchman was the 'most complete' player of the season and said (via GOAL):

"The Ballon d'Or rewards players who are decisive: you have to take into account individual statistics, which have been highlighted by Cristiano and Lionel Messi. This year, Ousmane Dembele has some pretty crazy numbers. And when he came on during the match, he was sharp, with or without possession, when he pressed."

"Failing to reach 90 goals in a year, for me today Dembele is the winner hands down. With Thierry Henry, we say that Ousmane is the most complete, he can score and make others score, cause chaos around him, he contributes defensively with his pressing... Today we have to give credit to Ousmane on these pressing phases, especially for players of this quality, he makes the work of an entire team easier, it's rare to see a player like that get in tune."

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has already said that the credibility of the award should be questioned if Ousmane Dembele does not win it this year.

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Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.

Sripad has been a Chelsea fan through and through since the age of 9 and can watch their 2012 Champions League triumph on repeat. The undisputed ‘GOAT’ according to him is Lionel Messi and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Apart from popular European leagues, he also likes to follow other leagues like the MLS, Saudi Pro League, Eredivisie, and Liga MX.

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If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer