Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times. In the history of football, only Lionel Messi (with eight) has been more successful.
The Portuguese icon won his first award in 2008 as a Manchester United player. The rest came while he was at Real Madrid, with his last triumph coming in 2017. During that entire period, Jorge Mendes was his agent.
His fellow Portuguese national worked alongside him from the early 2000s, when he was still at Sporting Lisbon, up until 2022. Their working relationship came to an end at this point, with Ronaldo heading to the Saudi Pro League, but Mendes has insisted their 'personal relationship continues to be close'. He explained:
"Our personal relationship continues to be close, a great personal relationship. How do I see this phase of his life? Cristiano will always be in my heart. He is a special player and a special person for me. If I, a few years ago, thought that I could have a player with half the value of Cristiano, I would sign for less! And all of us Portuguese should be proud to have had and still have a player like him."
Having spent so long working closely with Ronaldo, Mendes should know a thing or two about Ballon d'Or winners. It's interesting, then, to learn that he has backed a Barcelona star for the 2025 award.
EPL_Ballon d'Or 2025 Power Rankings Related
Ballon d'Or 2025 Power Rankings
The race for the 2025 Ballon d'Or award is heating up with Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele among the front-runners.
Jorge Mendes Picks His 2025 Ballon d'Or Winner
"Lamine Yamal deserves to win"
At this moment in time, it really is anyone's guess as to who will scoop the prize. Ousmane Dembele and Lautaro Martinez have both boosted their hopes with Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan reaching the Champions League final, while Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is also in the race off the back of his remarkable Premier League-winning season.
Barcelona quartet Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Robert Lewandowski have all been tipped as possible winners too, and Mendes believes one of the four will be crowned as the next Ballon d'Or:
“Lamine Yamal deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this year. He’s been the best player in the world this season, that’s very clear. Lamine’s level has been worth the Ballon d’Or”.
Lamine Yamal's Remarkable Season
On course for La Liga glory, having already won Copa del Rey
Carrying on from his incredible summer form, in which he helped fire Spain to glory at Euro 2024, Yamal has continued to impress far beyond what anyone would ever expect of a 17-year-old. As of May 2025, the winger has 16 goals to his name as well as 24 assists.
Barcelona's exit from the Champions League won't help his chances, but the teenager cannot be blamed for the loss vs Inter. Having scored in the first leg, he was arguably the best player on the pitch in Italy for the return game. As the stats below show, Yamal finished the game leading the way for shots (nine), dribbles (14/20), fouls won (seven), and SofaScore match rating (8.7).
Lamine Yamal stats vs Inter
To have over 100 senior appearances and more than 50 combined goal contributions under his belt before his 18th birthday only goes to show just how special the Barcelona star is. If he doesn't win the Ballon d'Or in 2025, it feels as though he will get his hands on the prize at some point in the future, regardless.
The player has spoken about his hopes for the award, giving himself the goal of becoming the world's best player within the next four years. He said:
"As for 2029, I hope to win it before because it would mean winning the Champions League with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain, which are my two big dreams."
He added: "The first thing Barcelona needs to do is win titles, and everything else will fall into place."
Having already won the Copa del Rey, and looking on course to lift La Liga, he's certainly ticking off the titles. It remains to be seen if this, plus his individual brilliance, will be enough to claim the 2025 Ballon d'Or. Teammate Raphinha is a strong candidate for all the same reasons.
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Stats via SofaScore and Transfermarkt - correct as of 12/05/25