Say what you will about the merits of the Ballon d'Or, but last year's ceremony was undeniably dramatic. The event organisers, France Football, have always insisted that "no player or club knows who has won the Ballon d'Or" before the victor is announced on stage – but Real Madrid refused to even turn up after learning hours in advance that Rodri had beaten Vinicius Jr to the men's prize.
"It is clear that Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid," an unnamed club source told . "And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected." It was all very undignified and amusing, particularly when one considers that the supposedly disrespected Real were named Team of the Year at the very same ceremony they boycotted.
However, Rodri's shock success also suggested that Ballon d'Or voters are no longer as obsessed with forwards as they once were. Is there a chance, then, that we could see another surprise winner this year?
Ousmane Dembele is the understandable favourite to lift the trophy after scoring more goals than anyone else during Paris Saint-Germain's treble triumph – but was the Frenchman really their best player last season? Surely Vitinha or Achraf Hakimi would be more deserving of the ultimate individual accolade in football if we're looking at this from a purely sporting perspective?…
Getty ImagesBelated 'mental breakthrough'
Dembele would certainly make for a popular winner – and one hell of a story. The worst signing in Barcelona's history has belatedly realised his potential in Paris. Luis Enrique's "idea of the century" certainly helped, with the Spaniard ingeniously taking Dembele off the wing and moving him into the centre of the attack, where he's done more damage than ever before.
However, the notoriously profligate Dembele has also had, as Kylian Mbappe labelled it, "a mental breakthrough" – and not just in front of goal. The 28-year-old has finally grown up, finally understood the importance of hard work, and finally realised that only by sorting himself out off the field could he truly thrive on it.
Barcelona may still be bitter over the way in which an ill-disciplined Dembele, by his own admission, "wasted five years of his career" at Camp Nou – before then short-changing the Catalan club when he moved to Parc des Princes. However, Dembele's particular tale of redemption is a narrative that will doubtless appeal to a lot of voters.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesSensational – since the turn of the year
It's not as if Dembele didn't post fantastic numbers last season either. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with 37 goals and 16 assists for club and country to his name – and that impressive haul included hugely significant strikes against Manchester City, Stuttgart, Liverpool and Arsenal during PSG's maiden Champions League win.
Dembele, then, deserves credit for stepping up when it mattered most, but it should not be forgotten that he only really caught fire in January, with 35 of his 51 direct goal involvements at club level for last season arriving after the turn of the year. Luis Enrique even joked at one point, "You'd have to ask Ousmane what he ate for Christmas!"
Amid all of the hysteria surrounding his revival, it's often overlooked that Dembele was left out of the squad for the matchday-two meeting with Arsenal for disciplinary reasons, and sent off in the November 26 loss at Bayern Munich that left his team at serious risk of European elimination.
Getty Images SportStill something to prove
Above all else, though, Dembele simply hasn't yet achieved the same level of sustained excellence as either Hakimi or Vitinha. Whereas both men can lay claim to being the best players in the world in their respective positions, Dembele most certainly cannot.
There were more consistent forwards in European last season than the France international – Mohamed Salah, Raphinha, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe all have the statistics to prove it – while not once did Dembele produce the kind of breath-taking displays with which Lamine Yamal wowed the watching world.
Furthermore, while Dembele may have provided the finishing touch on so many occasions, and pressed wonderfully well from the front for PSG, he was by no means their only outstanding attacker. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue were both brilliant – as was Bradley Barcola before losing a bit of momentum in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Hakimi and Vitinha, though, were the key cogs in Luis Enrique's winning machine.
Getty Images SportTotal footballer
Trent Alexander-Arnold says he wants to become the first right-back to win the Ballon d'Or, but if anyone is going to do it, it's going to be Hakimi – because he is on a whole other level to any of his peers.
For example, in last season's Champions League, the Moroccan won the ball back more times (110) than any other player, while he was also directly involved in more goals (nine) than any other defender. Hakimi is essentially a total footballer, utterly at ease in any area of the field, both in and out of possession. As a result, he has become utterly integral to the way in which PSG not only defend – but also attack.
"Hakimi is not really a full-back," Luis Enrique admitted last month. "He has freedom: with the ball, he can be whatever he wants to be." In short, there is no more creative, complete or influential defender in the game today.
