Ballon d'or: these two clues hand the trophy to Ousmane Dembélé

With less than two weeks to go before the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony, Ousmane Dembélé looks set to lift the coveted trophy on September 22. Here's why.

The name of the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner will be revealed on September 22. Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, and Lamine Yamal are the three contenders for football's most prestigious individual award. The Frenchman holds a slight edge, having won the Champions League and been named the tournament's best player with PSG.

And as the decisive date draws near, Dembélé is increasingly seen as the clear favorite. Two recent developments have even gone further, hinting at the final result. The first concerns Ousmane Dembélé himself, who in an Instagram story, strongly suggested he would be the winner. The former Barça player shared a photo from his youth days at Stade Rennais, accompanied by a track from rapper Takiola and these telling words: "I didn't wait for things to come to me to see my dreams come true."

The second clue comes from L'Equipe journalist and columnist Vincent Duluc, who, when discussing Dembélé, explicitly said "who is going to be Ballon d'Or". Given his close ties to France Football, the organization behind the award, it's fair to believe Vincent Duluc may already know the outcome of the vote.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.