Lamine Yamal has responded publicly after finishing second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote. PSG forward Ousmane Dembele won the award.
The ceremony took place on Monday night at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Dembele became the first Paris Saint-Germain player in history to lift the Ballon d’Or.
The French winger registered 35 goals and 16 assists last season. He was widely expected to take home the top prize.
According to reports, Dembele won the vote comfortably ahead of Yamal. His PSG teammate Vitinha finished third.
During his acceptance speech, Dembele credited his success to those around him. He said:
“This is an award thanks to the collective. I want to thank all my teammates. I want to thank my hometown Eure. Every time I get the chance I go back. The people in my neighbourhood helped me to this moment.”
At 18, Yamal missed out on becoming the youngest Ballon d’Or winner of all time. However, he did collect his second consecutive Kopa Trophy earlier in the evening.
READ MORE: Lamine Yamal’s father breaks silence on the Ballon d’Or result
Following the ceremony, the Barcelona star took to Instagram to send a respectful message:
“God’s plan is perfect, you have to climb to get to the top. Happy for the Kopa Trophy x2 and congratulations to Dembele for the award and his great season.”
Lamine Yamal had previously called out Dembele ahead of Spain’s Nations League semi-final against France but showed maturity in defeat.
While accepting the Kopa Trophy, Yamal also acknowledged the gap between him and the senior award. He joked:
“I don’t know if I’m ready for the big trophy! Maybe we’ll see each other later.”
By finishing second, Yamal became the youngest player in history to end as Ballon d’Or runner-up.
The Spaniard surpassed the previous record of Ronaldo Nazario, who was 20 when he finished second in 1996.
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