Olaleye Idowu
Former Chelsea player, Frank Lebouef, has snubbed his countryman, Ousmane Dembelè as he made his choice of the footballer to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
Instead, the Frenchman backed Spain International, Lamine Yamal to win the award.
The former Premier League star told ESPN that he does not think Dembelè will win the award.
He said the PSG man is not the front-runner for the award and that the Barcelona star is better positioned to claim the gong at 17-year-old.
This is despite Dembelè helping PSG to win the quadruple in the 2024-25 season.
The France International scored more goals than Yamal.
He said, “I don’t think Dembele will win the Ballon d’Or. I think Lamine Yamal will win it.”
In the 2024-25 season, Dembelè netted 33 goals and assisted other players to score 15 goals in 49 games for PSG.
Yamal was far behind with 18 goals and made 25 assists in 55 games for Barca in 2024-25.
Yamal’s agent, Jorge Mendes, also believes the 17-year-old would win the prestigious award.
“He’s been the best in the world this season, and that’s clear, so Ballon d’Or would be deserved,” he said.
