Lamine Yamal or Ousmane Dembele? Jules Kounde makes Ballon d'Or U-turn when asked to pick between Barcelona and France team-mates after first backing teen star for top prize

Barcelona and France defender Kounde was diplomatic when asked to pick his favourite for the 2025 Ballon d'Or between Yamal and Dembele. Being team-mates with the former at Barcelona and the latter for France, Kounde made a big U-turn on his comments from August. Having selected the teen sensation as his favourite for the prestigious award earlier, the full-back now shied away from choosing an outright winner. 

Yamal had a near-historic campaign with Barcelona, guiding the Catalans to La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana triumphs to capture a domestic treble. He was also fascinating to watch in the Champions League as Hansi Flick's men reached the semi-final. In 55 games across competitions, the teenager scored 18 goals and delivered 21 assists. 

On the other hand, Dembele dazzled in a new false nine role under Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain, with Les Parisiens winning a historic quadruple, including their maiden Champions League title. The former Barca and Borussia Dortmund star scored 33 goals and registered 13 assists in 49 games.

Back in August, Kounde conceded that Yamal is the most deserving candidate to win this year's Ballon d'Or. However, in a press conference on Wednesday, the Frenchman backtracked on his words. He said: "I've already answered, I'll do it again. Both deserve it. They had an extraordinary season, with trophies to boot. Being teammates with both, it's difficult. I'm not the one voting, and there are arguments for both. I'm very happy to be with Lamine, to see how he's carrying us. Ousmane has reached a kind of fullness, he's playing his best football, with the statistics. May the best man win."

As a key part of Barcelona's successful side, Kounde may have expected a nomination for the award this time around, but was not on the list of candidates. Asked for his thoughts, he said: "It's always gratifying. I would have enjoyed being there, I think I could have been there given my season. I'm not there, it's a source of motivation."

The 26-year-old will next be seen on Friday, when France take on Ukraine in a World Cup qualifying game, followed by an encounter against Iceland on September 10. Kounde recently committed his future to Barcelona by signing a new contract, which will see him remain at the club until 2030.