Kylian Mbappe has chosen his 2025 Ballon d'Or winner after Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal became the two top favourites for the coveted award.

France and Spain clashed this week in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League, and the Barcelona youngster put on a show while the French star had a rather quiet show.

As noted by Transfermarkt, Dembele racked up 48 goals and assists for Paris Saint-Germain this season, winning the quadruple, including the club's first UEFA Champions League title and was named the best player.

Yamal was named the Spanish La Liga’s best U23 player after an impressive season, during which he helped Barcelona win all three domestic trophies, including the La Liga and Copa del Rey double.

France national team captain Mbappe has sided with his compatriot Dembele to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or ahead of his La Liga rival Yamal.

The Real Madrid forward, speaking ahead of the UEFA Nations League third-place match between Spain and Germany, confirmed he would pick the PSG star to win.

“Would I vote for Dembele? Yes. Do I really need to explain? We’re talking about Yamal and Dembele, I’m going for Dembele. It’s very clear!” he said as quoted by Sportskeeda.

However, he added that the award isn't handed out in June, and it's still a long way to go until the winner can be fully decided, as previous awards have shown.

“Today, we’re talking about Ousmane and Lamine. It changes very quickly, the last winners showed that. We weren’t talking about certain players who won in the end. Is it September?” he said.

“A lot will happen between now and then, but today we’re talking about Ousmane and Lamine. That’s why I replied.”

Dembele is the leading favourite and could further boost his chances by having a strong campaign in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, starting in seven days.

Barcelona did not qualify for the tournament, which could further limit Yamal's chances if Dembele keep delivering strong performances until the award in October.

Mbappe is one of the dark horses for the award at this stage, after having a strong opening season with Madrid and could put himself at the forefront if Los Blancos win the Club World Cup.

The former PSG star will be key for the 15-time UCL winner under Xabi Alonso at the tournament in the United States, where they will face Al-Hilal in the opening match.

Legit.ng analysed the top five Ballon d'Or contenders after Lamine Yamal helped Spain beat France 5-4 in the UEFA Nations League semi-final in Stuttgart, Germany.

Though the Barcelona youngster was hyped after his performance, it was not enough to unseat Dembele as the leading favourite for the Golden Ball award.

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Source: Legit.ng