Liverpool star Ryan Gravenberch snubs Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele while picking Ballon d'Or 2025 winner
Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has picked Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah as his Ballon d'Or winner. He snubbed Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal. Gravenberch, who played a pivotal role in Liverpool's Premier League triumph, is currently on national duty with the Netherlands.
Playing in the World Cup qualifiers, the Dutch national team defeated Finland 2-0 on Saturday, June 7, in Helsinki. After the game, the Dutch midfielder was asked about his pick for the Ballon d'Or winner. In response to the question, Gravenberch named Mohamed Salah.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder said (via the Touchline on X)
"I would give the Ballon d'Or to (Mohamed) Mo Salah."
The Egyptian forward played 52 games for Liverpool last season, scoring 34 goals and providing 18 assists across all competitions. Salah won the Premier League Golden Boot with 29 goals and was also named the 'Player of the Season'.
However, his Ballon d'Or-winning chances suffered a blow after Liverpool were eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain. Additionally, the Reds also lost to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final, while they were eliminated in the FA Cup fourth round by Plymouth Argyle.
PSG completed the treble, and their star was Ousmane Dembele. Lamine Yamal also enjoyed a breakout season as Barcelona won the domestic treble.
Kylian Mbappe picks Ousmane Dembele over Lamine Yamal to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or
Real Madrid attacker Kylian Mbappe has backed his French teammate Ousmane Dembele to win the Ballon d'Or over Barcelona's Lamine Yamal. The former PSG attacker has stated that he would vote for Dembele to win the coveted individual accolade.
The French attacker told RMC Sport (via Madrid Universal):
"Would I vote for (Ousmane) Dembele? yes. Do I really need to explain? We're talking about (Lamine) Yamal and Dembele, I'm going for Dembele. It's very clean."
Dembele, who joined Les Parisiens from Bracelone in the summer of 2023, played a crucial role in PSG's treble-winning campaign. In 49 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants, he scored 33 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal bagged 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 games, helping Barcelona win the La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. France and Spain also clashed in the UEFA Nations League last week, where La Roja recorded a 5-4 victory.
