Ballon d'Or 2025: How Ghanaian Journalist Michael Oti Adjei Voted
- Ghanaian journalist Michael Oti Adjei was one of the media men selected to cast their votes for the 2025 Ballon d'Or
- The renowned journalist's top ten has been released a few days after the ceremony in Paris, France
- PSG talisman won the award for the first time following his success with Spain and Manchester City
Renowned Ghanaian journalist, Michael Oti Adjei, was one the top media men to have the privilege of voting in the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
The Media General staff joined 100 respected journalists to pick the deserving player for the top football award.
Source: Getty Images
Adjei, who is a legendary figure in sports media in Ghana, voted for France and PSG maestro, Ousmane Dembele, the eventual winner of the award.
In a list shared on social media, Oti Adjei had Dembele, Lamine Yamal and Achraf Hakimi in his top three.
The award was presented on September 22, 2025, in Paris, where Dembele made history as the second PSG player to claim the honour.
Oti Adjei’s top three featured both PSG stars alongside Arsenal’s Swedish forward Viktor Gyökeres, who also earned a place in his overall top 10.
Completing his top five were Brazil’s Raphinha and Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah, while the sixth to tenth spots went to Vitinha, Kylian Mbappé, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Désiré Doué.
Dembele collected 1,380 points to finish ahead of Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal (1,059) and PSG teammate Vitinha (703) at the Paris gala.
He thus becomes the sixth Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or and the first since Karim Benzema in 2022.
Ghanaian journalist prefers Lamine Yamal
Meanwhile, Ghanaian journalist Derrick Ayim has shared his thoughts on the Ballon d’Or outcome, admitting he would have preferred to see Lamine Yamal crowned the winner.
According to him, despite Ousmane Dembele’s incredible achievements with PSG, the Barcelona youngster stood out as the most impactful player in world football purely based on performance and style.
Ayim explained to YEN.com.gh:
“For me, football is not only about the trophies and statistics. When you watch Lamine Yamal, the eye test tells you he is simply the best player in the world right now.”
He further added:
“Dembele had a great season with PSG and won everything, but Yamal’s influence on the pitch, his consistency and the way he changes games make him the most impactful player globally. That’s why I would have loved to see him win.”
73 journalists voted Dembele as No.1
Another fascinating aspect of Ousmane Dembele's 2025 Ballon d’Or triumph is that 73 out of 100 journalists placed him as their first-choice candidate, a clear reflection of the overwhelming support he enjoyed from the global voting panel.
The 73 countries who selected Dembele as No.1 in their choices are Albania, England, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Benin, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Curaçao, Denmark, Ireland, Ecuador, United States, Finland, France, Wales, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iraq, Northern Ireland, Israel, and Iceland.
Source: Getty Images
The remaining nations are Jamaica, Japan, Kosovo, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Mali, Mexico, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nigeria, Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, DR Congo, Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, Uruguay, and Zambia.
Also, according to L'Equipe, the Paris Saint-Germain attacker appeared in the selecions of each of the 100 international journalists, as cited by MEGA PSG on X.
Why Dembele was Ballon d'Or favourite
Earlier, YEN.com.gh had earlier highlighted the key reasons why Ousmane Dembele emerged as the 2025 Ballon d'Or frontrunner ahead of Lamine Yamal.
Pointing to his decisive goals, consistency in big games, and his pivotal role in PSG’s historic Champions League triumph, the talented French footballer presented a stronger case.
Source: YEN.com.gh
