Lamine Yamal finished as runner-up to Ousmane Dembele at the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards
and the teenager has admitted he thought he was going to win.However, Yamal has also revealed why he thinks missing out on the coveted prize may actually be good for him and that he was happy to see Dembele scoop the award instead.
“To be honest, I thought I was going to win it that day, but because of a lot of things that happened. I think it was really good for me that Dembélé won it,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“For my personal growth, I don’t think it was the right time for me to win it because I was just a kid and I wasn’t going to appreciate what it means to win a Ballon d’Or.
“Besides, I get along really well with Dembélé. I’ve gone out with him, we’ve spent a lot of time together and talked a lot. He called me the other day, asked how I was, and he helped me grow a lot personally.
“He helped me get back on my feet because I wasn’t in a good place, and I think I’ve matured a lot since then and changed a lot of things in my life.
“I was really happy for Ous. We were in Dubai, we seem to get along really well, and we talk from time to time. Let’s see if this is my year.”
Both players are likely to be in the mix again for the Ballon d’Or in 2026, although much may also depend on what happens this summer at World Cup 2026.
