Kylian Mbappe reveals choice for 2025 Ballon d’Or and makes cheeky Lamine Yamal quip – ‘I’d deliver it to his house’
Kylian Mbappe joined in the debate surrounding who should be lifting the famous golden ball trophy on September 22, and emphatically answered in favour of his compatriot and former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate. Ousmane Dembele is being hotly tipped to win the Ballon d’Or for the first time, and Mbappe believes it will be a just reward for a stellar season.
Kylian Mbappe did not hesitate when asked who he felt deserved to win the Ballon d’Or and believes the award should go to Ousmane Dembele.
Mbappe is currently away with fellow Frenchman Dembele on international duty, as the former scored in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Ukraine on Friday – while the latter picked up an injury.
But Dembele has enjoyed a greater share of the column inches following an outstanding 2024/25 campaign, which included Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League success.
The 28-year-old scored 35 goals and contributed 16 assists last season, and is one of nine Paris Saint-Germain players to be included in the 30-player shortlist.
Mbappe was in no doubt when asked who he is tipping to win arguably football’s biggest prize in Paris later this month, and aimed a tongue-in-cheek dig at Lamine Yamal.
He said in an interview with TF1: “Does Ousmane Dembele deserve it? Of course. If it were up to me, I’d deliver it to his house.
“I hope Achraf Hakimi will be well placed because we need to give defenders their due. Lamine Yamal? Well, no, he’s a Barcelona player. But he’s a very good player.”
Mbappe is also on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, and will retain hope of winning the golden ball during his time at Real Madrid.
Despite scoring 31 goals in 34 La Liga appearances, silverware ultimately eluded the France captain in Real’s failed pursuit of domestic and European glory.
However, the 26-year-old remains upbeat about having an improved campaign under Xabi Alonso, helped by a 100% start to their La Liga campaign.
“I had a great impression of him,” Mbappe told BILD.
“You see a guy who wants to succeed. He knows the club perfectly because he played for Real Madrid himself.
“At the moment we’re just trying to implement what he tells us. We’re trying to understand the game plan he has for us – and then we’ll see what happens.
“Our start was good with three wins, of course, which is really positive, but we have to improve, we have to keep working, we have to keep pushing ourselves because we know how difficult it is to win trophies.
“I think we learned a lot from last season, but it’s time to show what we’ve learned. Of course, that will take some time.
“This season is really important for the club, but we’re also approaching the World Cup, so it’s also important for every player who wants to get there, including me.”
France continue their World Cup qualifying campaign with a home match against Iceland on Tuesday, September 9.
Dembele will not feature after picking up a hamstring injury against Ukraine and there are suggestions the forward could be sidelined for a number of weeks.
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