Lamine Yamal's Father Questions Ballon d'Or Result as Dembele Wins; Yamal Vows Next Year

Ousmane Dembele won the Ballon d'Or on Monday evening, claiming football’s highest individual prize by a wide margin and capping a stellar season with Paris Saint-Germain. The award ceremony, staged amid anticipation over a potential Barcelona or PSG triumph, culminated in Dembele beating Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal to the prize after a season in which Dembele scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists for PSG as they completed a domestic treble. Yamal, meanwhile, collected the Kopa Trophy for the sport’s best under-21 player, in a development many described as a striking turn of events given his breakout 2024-25 campaign with Barcelona where he tallied 18 goals and 25 assists as the club won La Liga.

The post ceremony atmosphere was defined by a split of sentiment. Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, spoke openly to Spanish reporters and others in attendance, describing the result as "very strange" and expressing unwavering belief in his son. "Something very strange happened here. Next year, he'll be the Spanish Ballon d'Or winner," Nasraoui said, insisting that his claim of Yamal being the world’s best player was not a parental flourish but a judgment grounded in what he had seen from his son. He added that while he wouldn’t call it theft, there was a sense of moral harm to the sport if the best player in the world did not win the prize.

Dembele’s triumph was framed by France Football director Vincent Garcia’s assessment that the winner was clear. "There was no match. Ousmane won it by a wide margin. On all continents, Ousmane Dembele's Ballon d'Or is clear and unambiguous. It is a Ballon d'Or that is authoritative for our judges," Garcia said, underscoring the perceived gap between Dembele’s season and the rest of the field. Dembele attended the ceremony despite being sidelined by injury, while Yamal met the moment with a gracious embrace for his rival as the ceremony concluded.

In accepting the Kopa Trophy, Yamal showed his own poise, saying, "I won't forget my teammates, everyone that helped me get here tonight. I'll have to keep working to win other titles in the future." He wore the feel of a player who, even in defeat, remains focused on continued improvement and future opportunities.

The Ballon d'Or event drew attention beyond the two frontrunners. Nine PSG players from last season were named on the 30-man short list for the award, though most could not attend due to a rescheduled league game at Marseille. Dembele’s own attendance was feasible, but he arrived with the benefit of his injury status, having missed portions of the season but delivering the standout performances that carried PSG through a successful campaign. By contrast, Real Madrid chose to abstain from the event for the second year in a row, continuing a pattern of non-attendance by the club at the annual gala.

The evening’s focus also included the women’s Ballon d’Or, where Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati claimed the prize for the third year in a row, ahead of Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo. In the wake of England’s Euro 2022 success, five of the national team’s World Cup-winning squad were named among the nominees, with several Arsenal players featuring prominently. Lucy Bronze and Hannah Hampton also appeared among the top ten in the women’s category.

The event’s broader football context included the men’s Ballon d'Or winner, Donnarumma, and the coaches’ prize going to Enrique for the men, with other nominees including Arne Slot, Antonio Conte, Enzo Maresca and Hansi Flick. The ceremony also highlighted the evolving calendar in European football: an earlier postponement of El Clasico due to storm warnings forced a rethink of scheduling, with Ligue 1 rules dictating that suspended matches be played the next day unless extraordinary conditions applied.

Outside the Ballon d'Or universe, the weekend’s football landscape reflected a similar balance of triumph and continuity. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was among the British contenders, finishing in the vicinity of the top ten amid a season that featured his PFA Men’s Player of the Year accolade and a title run for Jurgen Klopp’s team. In the women’s game, the Lionesses’ success at the Euros was mirrored by continued recognition at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, reinforcing the growing parity and prestige of women’s football at the global level.

Looking ahead, Yamal’s outlook is one of determination. Despite his absence through injury, he remains a central figure for Barcelona, with the club’s young star poised to define campaigns to come. For Dembele, the prize caps a renaissance that has seen him established as one of the game’s elite performers, while the Ballon d'Or ceremony served as a crossroads moment—celebrating a standout season while highlighting the vivid range of narratives shaping football at the highest level.