'Lamine Yamal gets my vote!' - Barcelona star tipped to claim Ballon d'Or prize but former winner admits Raphinha could 'steal' some of teen sensation's votes to give Ousmane Dembele a boost

Lothar Matthaus has revealed he would vote for Barcelona sensation Yamal to win the 2025 award, but concedes that PSG's Dembele is the slight favourite heading into tonight's ceremony in Paris. Writing in a column for Sky Sport ahead of the gala, the football legend admitted that major titles could be the decisive factor.

Dembele and Yamal have emerged as the two frontrunners for football's most prestigious individual prize after outstanding 2024-25 campaigns. Dembele, 28, was instrumental for PSG, scoring 35 goals as the club won a domestic clean sweep and its first-ever Champions League title. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Yamal was a breakout star for Barcelona, scoring 18 goals in 55 appearances as his side secured a La Liga and Copa del Rey double.

Despite Dembele's superior trophy haul, the 1990 Ballon d'Or winner Matthaus expressed his personal preference for the young Spaniard's exciting style of play. 

"Titles often tipped the scales in this election - especially when it was close. I'm thinking of Fabio Cannavaro, who lifted the trophy with Italy in 2006 after winning the World Cup. That's a good thing, because I don't see the award purely as an individual achievement," he wrote.

"But Yamal also won three titles with FC Barcelona . He would even get my vote if I were eligible to vote, because he brings something fresh and unpredictable to the game. Of course, it's possible that his teammate Raphinha, who also had a sensational season, will steal some of his votes.

"That's perfectly normal, and probably also the reason why no German player won the Ballon d'Or in 2014, despite the World Cup. But Germany excelled as a collective back then, and there was no single primary reason for their success. Regardless of whether Dembele or Yamal succeed Rodri, both would be worthy winners. "

The winner will be announced at a glitzy ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday evening. Both players feature on a 30-man shortlist that also includes past contenders such as Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe. In the women's category, Spain and Barcelona star Aitana Bonmati is the favourite to claim the prize for a third consecutive year.

The football world will find out in a matter of hours who will succeed Rodri as the new Ballon d'Or holder. For either Dembele or Yamal, a victory would represent the pinnacle of their careers to date and would be the first time either player has received the coveted golden ball, marking a potential new era for the award in the post-Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo landscape.