"Though I believe there are better players" - Real Madrid icon Guti picks his 2025 Ballon d'Or winner
Former Real Madrid star Guti has weighed in on who he thinks should win the 2025 Ballon d'Or award. The former Los Blancos star believes there are few better options than former Cule, Ousmane Dembele, for the award after the dominant campaign he enjoyed with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this season.
In a recent discussion with Marca, the former Merengue gave his opinion on who should be crowned the best player of the year, saying via Madrid Universal:
“I don’t really like the award. Sometimes titles matter, sometimes they don’t. It should be based on goals, assists, and key performances. If we go by the season alone, maybe Dembele, though I believe there are better players.”
Ousmane Dembele’s selection by the former Real Madrid star as a potential Ballon d'Or winner comes as no surprise after he enjoyed a season that saw him bag 48 goal involvements in 49 matches across competitions. The Frenchman helped PSG to a quadruple that saw his side win their first ever UEFA Champions League crown.
Dembele joined PSG from Barcelona in the summer of 2023 for a reported €50 million and is contracted to the French giants until the summer of 2028. The 28-year-old has helped the team to two Ligue 1s, two French Cups, two French Super Cups, And one UEFA Champions League title since he arrived.
When Former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti defender Real Madrid boycotting 2024 Ballon d'Or award
In January 2025, former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti defended the side's decision to boycott the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony. The Spanish giants expected their forward, Vinicius Jr, to claim the prize but were disappointed and enraged when the award went to Manchester City star Rodri instead.
Speaking in a press conference before his side faced Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League playoffs, the Italian manager told TNT Sports:
"We thought Vini was the winner of the Ballon D'Or. It doesn't mean we don't respect Rodri because he is a fantastic player. I think Rodri deserved to win it the year before.”
Carlo Ancelotti recently left Real Madrid to take charge of the Brazilian national team after a disappointing campaign that saw Los Merengues fail to defend their LaLiga, Spanish Super Cup, or UEFA champions League crowns. Rodri was also missing for most of the recently concluded campaign after picking up an ACL injury early in the season.
