Real Madrid icon Sergio Ramos has endorsed Los Blancos striker Kylian Mbappe for the Ballon d’Or this year, placing him ahead of PSG’s Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.
Mbappe had an impressive first season at Santiago Bernabeu, scoring 43 goals and providing five assists in 56 matches, yet he did not secure any trophies, with Madrid only capturing the UEFA Super Cup at the outset of the campaign.
In contrast, both Dembele and Yamal managed to claim significant titles in the same timeframe. Dembele recorded 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances, contributing to PSG’s quadruple triumph, whereas Yamal notched 18 goals and 25 assists across 55 matches, helping Barcelona secure the domestic treble.
Despite the absence of major trophies for Mbappe, Ramos argues that his individual accolades, including the Pichichi award, merit consideration for the Ballon d’Or (as reported by Marca via Madrid Xtra):
“Kylian Mbappé for the Ballon D’Or? For me, it’s clear. The Pichichi, the Golden Boot, but Real Madrid didn’t win titles that other teams did. They’re individual awards, but there are players who have won leagues, cups … if it were up to me, Mbappé would have four or five Ballon d’Ors at home.”
The French star clinched the Pichichi after finding the net 31 times, but Madrid’s title defense in La Liga was thwarted by Barcelona.
Performance of Ballon d’Or contenders Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele in Nations League Finals
Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal had noteworthy performances in the 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals for Spain. Under Luis de la Fuente, the team reached the final but ultimately fell to Portugal in a penalty shootout.
Spain led 2-1 at halftime in the championship match in Munich, but Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo leveled the score with a penalty shortly after the hour mark. The contest proceeded to penalties, where Roberto Martinez’s squad converted all five shots, winning 5-3.
Neither Yamal nor Dembele contributed goals in the final loss. However, Yamal scored three times in four matches, including a brace in the 5-4 semi-final victory against France. Meanwhile, Dembele’s sole goal in the Nations League Finals came during the quarter-final second leg against Croatia.
Image Source: Sergio Ramos @ Instagram
