The Ballon d’Or Debate: TBB Reevaluates the 2025 Winner

The Ballon d’Or is a ceremony that has been held every year since 1956, co-organized by UEFA and France Football. This event brings out many awards, like the Kopa Trophy, the Femnin Ballon d’Or, and the Club of the Year award, but the one that people care about most is the Ballon d’Or, an award given to a player to recognize their accomplishments and skills. 

There have been many players who have won repeatedly, such as the G.O.A.T.’s (Greatest of all time) Messi and Ronaldo. Last year, Manchester City player Rodri won it, and this year it was Ousmane Dembele. Many think he deserved it, but many believe he didn’t. What are your thoughts, Bengals? Did Dembele deserve the Ballon d’Or, or did Raphinha deserve it? Nana, David, and Edgar from The Blake Beat make their picks as to who really deserved the Ballon d’Or. 

Nana Agyemang – Raphinha

Games Played: 57

Goals: 34

Assists: 26

Position(s): Left Winger (Right Winger, Attacking Midfield)

Honestly, how did Raphinha not win the Ballon d’Or? Raphinha (Raphael Dias Belloli) has been a tremendous contributor to FC Barcelona over the past three seasons, especially last season, when he scored a total of 18 goals and 12 assists, truly proving to be an explosive and determined player. 

In the 2024/2025 season, which was a career breakthrough year for him, his performance improved significantly, ranking him as the highest-rated player in both La Liga and the Champions League, surpassing Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Mbappe, Vini Jr., and Jud Bellingham, according to Yahoo Sports. As shown in recent data, this Brazilian sensation averaged just under 0.35% of goals per game and 0.42% of assists per game in La Liga. Besides statistics, Raphinha is now another Brazilian player to have scored more than 10 goals in the Champions League, following in the footsteps of Neymar Jr. Therefore, this skillful athlete has definitely demonstrated being worth more than 5th place.

David Mancia-Robles – Lamine Yamal

Games Played: 55

Goals: 18

Assists: 25

Position: Right Winger

Lamine Yamal was the best player in the world last season. With 55 games played, 18 goals, and 25 assists, Lamine Yamal was the most decisive player last season. Barcelona had an 82% win rate with Lamine in the starting lineup, while they had a 53% win rate without him starting. As he stepped onto the pitch, he made an immediate impact. As an 18-year-old phenom, Lamine Yamal made a great case for the 2025 Ballon d’Or based on his extraordinary impact for both Barcelona and the Spanish national team. 

Despite not winning the award, Yamal was great and consistently performed well throughout the season, unlike others who had shorter periods of peak form. His statistics, including 18 goals and 25 assists during the 2024–2025 campaign, were impressive, but many argue that statistics alone do not fully capture his unique on-pitch influence and flair. Yamal’s record-breaking Euro 2024 campaign with Spain, where he was named the tournament’s Best Young Player, further underscored his ability to perform on the biggest stages and made him a symbol of football’s next generation.

Edgar Carballo Guevara – Ousmane Dembele

Games Played: 53

Goals: 35

Assists: 16

Position: Forward

Even though other players like Mohamed Salah, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal put up impressive stats and a great club season, Ousmane Dembele was superior to all of them.  Paris Saint-Germain entered the season with uncertainty after Kylian Mbappe, one of the best players in PSG’s history, left the club to join his childhood dream club, Real Madrid. PSG were in search of a new superstar to guide the team.

From August to December 2024, PSG and Dembele were underperforming for their standards. But it doesn’t matter how you start; it’s about how you finish. From January to July of this year, PSG and Dembele went on a good run of form to win the treble. In the top French league, Dembele scored 21 goals and 6 assists to lead PSG to a record of 26-6-2 and 1st place. This resulted in Dembele also winning the Ligue 1 Player of the Season Award. Then in the UEFA Champions League, Dembele scored a total of eight goals and six assists. Dembele played a huge role in PSG winning the UCL, as he was named the UCL Player of the Season. Dembele also led PSG to a French Cup win and a 2nd place spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.  With a total of 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 games, two individual awards, a treble, and a 2nd place spot in the FIFA Club World Cup, it’s clear that Dembele went on a great run of form as he played a crucial part in the success of Paris Saint-Germain.