France Football Editor Drops Bold Claim About Ballon d’Or Winner
- A Ballon d’Or organiser has dropped a major hint about the criteria and what really decides who wins the award
- This year’s race is expected to be a straight battle between PSG's Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal
- The leaked list delivered a major surprise, revealing that neither Dembele nor Yamal will take home the award
France Football’s Editor-in-Chief, Vincent Garcia, has moved to dismiss speculation about a leaked Ballon d’Or result, insisting he alone knows the identity of the winner.
On Monday night, the world’s football elite will converge at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris for the grand ceremony, where the latest recipients of football’s most prestigious individual prize will be disclosed.
Source: Getty Images
For more than a decade, the award was dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who together lifted it 13 times between 2008 and 2023.
That remarkable era finally came to an end last year when Manchester City midfielder Rodri claimed the honour after inspiring Spain to glory at Euro 2024.
Rodri, however, is not in contention to defend his crown, with injuries derailing much of his campaign.
Instead, attention has turned to leading candidates Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal, both considered strong favourites heading into the ceremony, as reported by Flashscore.
They face competition from an exciting pool of stars, including Desire Doué, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha, and Gianluigi Donnarumma, now at Manchester City.
Source: Getty Images
Of that group, Dembele has drawn particular acclaim following a spectacular season in which he seamlessly filled the gap left in Paris after Kylian Mbappé’s departure, scoring an impressive 35 goals.
But reports were circulating on Saturday when a viral “leaked” list surfaced online, claiming to reveal the top 10 finishers in the men’s Ballon d’Or race.
According to the unconfirmed list, Barcelona’s Raphinha was placed first with 800 points, a tally surpassing many recent winners.
However, Garcia, the man overseeing the awards, strongly refuted the rumours, stressing that nobody knows the winner ahead of time and that the result will only be officially disclosed on stage during Monday’s ceremony.
He told Telefoot, highlighting the criteria for picking the winner:
“Who won the Ballon d'Or? I will keep the secret even if it means falling out with some people. I will keep the secret until the very last minute. I’m the only one who knows the winner.The criteria to win this award is individual performances, decisive & impressive performances, titles achieved and fair play, behavior on and off field."
Watch Garcia talk about Ballon d'Or criteria below:
Organisers inform Dembele he's won Ballon d'Or
In an earlier report, YEN.com.gh highlighted claims from a popular football account on X alleging that organisers had already informed Ousmane Dembélé he would be crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner.
The speculation created a stir among fans worldwide, with many debating whether the leak was genuine or simply part of the usual pre-award buzz.
Source: YEN.com.gh
