Lamine Yamal’s father has poured scorn on Ousmane Dembele’s triumph at the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards, insisting his son is ‘the best player in the world by far’.
Dembele landed the prestigious prize for the first time after a phenomenal 12 months at the top, in which he played a pivotal role to help Paris Saint-Germain lift four pieces of silverware, including the Champions League.
Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal ultimately had to settle for second best, while Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah once again missed out, finishing fourth – behind PSG’s Vitinha – in the running for the coveted gong.
The women’s prize was won by the irrepressible Aitana Bonmati for a third year in a succession following another magnificent year at both club and international level with Barca and Spain.
While Dembele had been the bookmakers’ favourite to come out on top at Paris’ Theatre du Chatelet, many fans and pundits had put forward the case for Yamal to lift the historic award.
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In only his second full season in senior football, the 18-year-old winger racked up 18 goals and 25 assists in all competitions as Barca scooped La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
The teenage forward, who placed eighth at the 2024 awards, appeared gracious in defeat as he shared an embrace with the victorious Dembele once the results had been read confirmed.
His dad, Mounir Nasraoui, however, was not so courteous in the immediate aftermath, expressing his reservations to Spanish TV show El Chiringuito over the decision to hand Dembele the award.
‘He’s the greatest,’ Nasraoui said of Yamal, who came away from the ceremony with the Kopa Trophy – presented to the best-performing player under the age of 21 – for the second year on the trot.
‘I’m not going to say theft, but rather moral damage to a human being.
‘Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world by far.’
Nasraoui stressed that there was no bias in his remarks, while backing his son to come out on top in 12 months’ time.
‘It’s not just because he’s my son, but because he’s the best player in the world,’ he added.
‘Lamine is Lamine… we have to say that something strange has happened here.
‘Next year it’s ours. Next year the Ballon d’Or will be Spanish.’
Dembele, who was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year and Champions League Player of the Season, broke down in tears as he thanked his mother after collecting the prize from Ronaldinho in the French capital.
‘I didn’t want to cry, but as soon as I started talking about my family, about the people who have been there for me, it came up and I couldn’t hold it back,’ an emotional Dembele told the audience.
‘What I have just experienced is exceptional, I have no words for it, what happened with PSG.
‘I feel a bit of stress, it’s not easy to win this trophy, and to have it presented to me by Ronaldinho, a legend of football, is exceptional.
‘I want to thank PSG who came to get me in 2023. It’s an incredible family. The president Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] is like a father to me.
‘I also want to thank all the staff and the coach, who have been exceptional with me – he too is like a father – and all my teammates.
‘We have practically won everything together. You supported me in the good and the difficult times. This individual trophy is one the team has won collectively.’
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