Emmanuel Petit has explained why Mohamed Salah, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha's names will not appear on the Ballon d'Or trophy in October. The trio have been three of Europe's outstanding attackers this season, firing their clubs to success.
Salah appeared to be the frontrunner until Liverpool were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16. The Egyptian forward remains one of the contenders, but the Reds' early European exit could prevent him from winning the award.
Yamal and Raphinha, whose Barcelona side also crashed out of the Champions League after suffering a 7-6 aggregate defeat to Inter Milan in the semi-finals, are also in contention. They have been the Blaugrana's shining stars under Hansi Flick and are on course to win the La Liga title.
Petit doesn't think any of the trio will win the Ballon d'Or, though. He thinks one player has been enjoying "the best season" for a "dramatically changed" European giant.
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Emmanuel Petit
Salah has been in red-hot form throughout the campaign, putting in world-class performances to help Arne Slot guide Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first season in charge. The 32-year-old has struck 33 goals and 23 assists in 49 games across competitions, cruising to the top-flight's Golden Boot with 28 goals to his name.
Yamal has continued to wow fans after a glorious Euro 2024 campaign with Spain, where he truly put his name up in lights. The 17-year-old attacker has starred at Camp Nou with 15 goals and 24 assists in 51 games across competitions.
His Brazilian teammate, Raphinha, has been equally impressive, proving doubters wrong after a difficult 2023-24 campaign. The 28-year-old has flourished under new manager Hansi Flick and registered 32 goals and 25 assists in 53 games across competitions.
Despite this, Petit has tipped a player who has starred against Liverpool this season and has a storied history with Barca to win the Ballon d'Or. He told talkSPORT:
"I think Dembele is having his best season so far. His name is on the Ballon d’Or at the end of the season."
Dembele has been a standout performer in one of the finest seasons in PSG's history, where Luis Enrique has assembled a more team-focused squad. The 27-year-old joined the Parisians from Barca in the summer of 2023 for £43.5m and has shown why the Catalans made him their second most expensive signing in history in 2017.
The 53-cap France international's spell at Camp Nou was one to forget as he endured constant injury problems and struggled to reach his full potential. Better late than never for the Vernon-born attacker as he's been simply sublime at the Parc des Princes this season, stepping up following Kylian Mbappe's departure to Real Madrid.
Petit: Dembele Isn't PSG's "Star"The ex-Monaco midfielder talked up Luis Enrique's team
Ousmane Dembele
Petit stressed that Dembele wasn't PSG's "star" because of how they now perform as a collective. Gone are the days of big-name players, essentially calling the shots on the same level as a manager in Paris:
"I think the star is not Dembele. The star is the team. This is what changed dramatically in PSG. They’ve been here for probably 12 years [the owners] and they’ve been splashing so much money on big names, big stars, big egos and that was the problem."
Dembele has hit an astounding 33 goals and 13 assists in 46 games across competitions, helping Enrique's men claim the Ligue 1 title in early April. He's proven to be a massive success for the French capital club and could end the season as a European champion for the first time in his career.
Ousmane Dembele for Paris Saint-Germain this season
Competition:
Appearances:
Goals:
Assists:
Yellow Cards:
Red Cards:
Trophies:
PSG face Inter Milan in the Champions League final on May 31 and the French winger has the chance to finally help guide the Parisians to European glory. The closest they have come to winning a much-desired European title was in 2020 when they suffered a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the final.
All statistics courtesy ofTransfermarkt- correct as of 09/05/2025.
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