'He'll win several Ballon d'Or awards' - Ousmane Dembele hails 'wonderful' Lamine Yamal in emotional speech after PSG star beats Barcelona rival to 2025 Golden Ball

Dembele racked up 37 goals and 16 assists in all competitions as PSG completed a clean sweep of domestic and European silverware. Barcelona, on the other hand, won La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey with Yamal leading their charge, but could only reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. In the end, Dembele was declared the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner at Monday night's glitzy ceremony in Paris and delivered an emotional victory speech.

Dembele saved a few classy words for Yamal, as he told the crowd: "Lamine Yamal is an exceptional young man. A wonderful player with great maturity. I believe he will win several Ballon d’Or awards."

Dembele was unable to fight back tears in the last part of his speech as he thanked his mother for his monumental success in his career. "To my mother, I want to thank you. You have always been there for me, mama," he added. "To my family, we have experienced so much together. We have been through it all. We will always be together."

Dembele's prediction for Yamal could well prove correct, with the 18-year-old sensation having time on his side when it comes to winning football's most prestigious award. Yamal has started the 2025-26 campaign with five goal contributions in his first three appearances, but is currently sidelined due to injury and may not feature in Barca's next La Liga game against Oveido. Dembele has also been nursing a knock, but is expected to return to action when PSG face Auxerre in Ligue 1 next weekend.