When the 2024-25 season kicked off, Kylian Mbappe was already anointed the heir to football’s vacant throne, left behind by the twin greats, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
This year’s Ballon d’Or, once dominated by familiar names and spreadsheet stats, is now in the hands of younger, freer footballers.
For the first time in decades, two of the top three contenders had never even cracked the top 30.
It’s more than a generational shift, it’s a philosophical one.
As Neymar prepares to hang up his boots and Luka Modric eases into twilight, football is shedding the skin of system-heavy tactics and rigid analytics.
In its place: flair, risk, expression. Less Guardiola’s City, more Brazil in ’58.
Young blood
At season’s start, Barcelona put their faith in a 17-year-old prodigy. Lamine Yamal was thrust into the spotlight as Hansi Flick’s side took on the daunting mission of dethroning a star-studded Real Madrid.
Madrid, the defending La Liga champions, had just added French superstar Mbappe to a squad already boasting Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. On paper, they were runaway favorites. Barcelona were underdogs – young, raw, uncertain.
And yet, the defining symbol of this footballing revolution wasn’t wearing white. It was Yamal in blaugrana.
At just 17, the Barcelona and Spain sensation is reshaping how the world sees elite football.
Under Flick, Yamal isn’t just part of the system, he is the system.
In the 2024-25 campaign, he’s tallied 18 goals and 25 assists across all competitions, including nine goals and 12 assists in La Liga and four goals and five assists in the Champions League.
He was the undisputed star of Spain’s Euro 2024 title run, claiming the Young Player of the Tournament after a string of dazzling displays–one goal, four assists, and an aura that screamed Pele in Stockholm.
What sets Yamal apart isn’t just his numbers.
It’s his gravitational pull and opponents swarm him the way they once did Messi, or Steph Curry in the NBA.
Yamal’s versatility speaks to the times.
He shifts from right wing to false nine to deep-lying creator with ease, freeing Barcelona from the shackles of positional rigidity.
His Champions League semifinal performance against Inter Milan, though in a losing cause, was fearless: seven shots on target, one off the post, and constant menace.
Gary Lineker labeled him “a generational talent,” while Rio Ferdinand marveled at his maturity beyond his years.
Despite Barcelona falling short in the Champions League, Yamal’s Ballon d’Or case remains firm.
His youth, output and narrative make for a compelling package.
He’s leading La Liga’s top team, helped deliver a European crown for Spain last summer, and is set to become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever, surpassing Ronaldo’s 1997 record at age 23.
The competition heats up
Yet the path hasn’t been without resistance.
Erling Haaland has netted roughly 25 goals for Manchester City this season.
Madrid’s Mbappe has around 20.
Vinicius Junior delivered too – 15 goals and 10 assists.
These are proven forces on Champions League-winning squads.
While Yamal redefines roles, voters may still favor the simplicity of goal tallies. The “Spreadsheet FC” mindset lingers. Still, a 30%-40% chance of winning feels fair for Yamal. Even a top-three finish would be historic.
Raphinha and Dembele: The dark horses
Behind him in the conversation are two names with contrasting styles and trajectories – Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele.
Raphinha, also at Barcelona, just had a career-best season.
At 28, he stepped out of the shadows and into leadership.
With 18 goals and 12 assists in La Liga, plus 13 goals and nine assists in the Champions League, he’s been crucial to Flick’s tactical puzzle.
His moment of brilliance came in a 4-2 win over Real Madrid, where he scored twice and set up another, silencing the Bernabeu.
What Raphinha lacks in stardust, he makes up for in grit and balance.
He presses hard, averaging 2.5 tackles per game, and plays across the front line with an energy few match.
But unlike Yamal, he doesn’t warp defenses.
He contributes consistently, yes, but doesn’t command the same focus or awe. It’s unlikely he lifts the Ballon d’Or.
A top-10 finish is more realistic. Still, for someone who had never made the top 30 before, his rise is emblematic of 2025’s theme: opportunity knocking for the previously overlooked.
Then there’s Dembele.
Now thriving at Paris Saint-Germain, the 27-year-old Frenchman is enjoying a resurgent year.
He has emerged as PSG’s offensive spearhead in the 2024-25 season, dazzling with electrifying pace and unpredictable flair within their free-flowing attack.
In Ligue 1, he netted 21 goals and provided six assists over 29 appearances, sharing the league’s top scorer honors with Marseille’s Mason Greenwood.
His impact carried into the Champions League, where he tallied eight goals and six assists in 15 matches, highlighted by a hat trick against VfB Stuttgart and decisive performances in victories over Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City, plus two assists in PSG’s dominant 5-0 Champions League final win against Inter Milan.
Across all competitions, Dembele amassed 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances, earning Ligue 1 Player of the Year, UEFA Champions League Player of the Season, and a place in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.
His lethal dribbling, completing 66 successful take-ons at a rate of 2.08 per 90 minutes, and prolific shooting (73 shots with 49 on target in Ligue 1) have cemented his status as PSG’s top attacking force, even outpacing Mbappe in overall output.
Dembele’s blistering pace and unpredictability make him a nightmare for defenses in open space, especially within PSG’s fluid attacking trio, where his creativity and threat continue to shine.
But here’s the catch: Ligue 1 wrapped up in January. PSG ran away with it. And while Dembele’s numbers impress, the context hurts. Ligue 1’s lower difficulty rating, paired with Dembele’s more supporting role to Mbappe in the national team, diminishes his Ballon d’Or weight.
He’s never been in the top 30 either, and though his Champions League showings have bright moments, he hasn’t seized the spotlight the way top contenders do.
He may crack second place. But gold? A miracle is needed.
Content Source: www.dailysabah.com