Ousmane Dembele has expressed confidence in Lamine Yamal's potential to secure multiple Ballon d'Or awards in the future. Dembele, a French international, recently became only the second Paris Saint-Germain player to win the Ballon d'Or, following Lionel Messi's eight victories. His remarkable 2024-25 season with PSG included four major titles, notably their first Champions League win.
Dembele's performance was outstanding last season, contributing 53 goals and assists across all competitions, including the Club World Cup. In the Champions League alone, he scored eight goals and provided six assists. This achievement ranks him second among French players for goal involvements in a single season, just behind Karim Benzema's 17 in 2021-22.
Vincent
Garcia, editor of French Football, noted that Dembele won the Ballon d'Or by a significant margin over Yamal. Despite this, Dembele believes Yamal's time will come. "Lamine Yamal is an exceptional young man," Dembele stated. "A wonderful player with great maturity. I think if all the planets align, I believe he will win several Ballon d'Or awards. "
Yamal has made an impressive impact since the start of the 2024-25 season with 26 goal involvements. He leads Europe's top five leagues in attempted (494) and completed (262) dribbles. At just 17 years and 291 days old, he became the youngest scorer in a Champions League semi-final during a match against Inter Milan.
Despite his achievements, Yamal did not win the top award at the recent ceremony but did claim the Kopa Award for a second consecutive year. His father, Mounir Nasraou, expressed disappointment over this outcome. "I think this is the biggest, I won't say theft, but moral damage done to a human being," Nasraou told El Chiringuito TV.
Nasraou firmly believes his son is unmatched in talent. "It's not because he's my son but because he's the best player in the world," he said. "I believe there are no rivals. Lamine is Lamine Yamal. " He also predicted that next year would see a Spanish Ballon d'Or winner.
Dembele's belief in Yamal underscores his respect for young talent despite his own success. As both players continue to excel on the field, fans eagerly anticipate what lies ahead for these football stars.
