It’s that time of year again: after yet another action-packed campaign across Europe, the Ballon d’Or is around the corner and some of the continent’s leading stars are in the running and Marcus Rashford has revealed who he believes should win it.
For years, a 15-year period between 2008 and 2023 to be exact, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ruled football in terms of winning the beautiful game’s most prestigious award. Neither play in Europe nowadays, and the award is now more attainable.
Manchester City lynchpin Rodri proved that by pipping Vinicius Jr of Real Madrid to the post last time out, but who will win this year’s award remains to be seen. Of course, Raphinha and Mohamed Salah are in with a shout – but neither winger was named by Rashford.
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.
Rashford Names His Leading Candidate for 2025 Ballon d’Or
‘I do not think we have seen this before’
Winning the Ballon d’Or is no mean feat – it’s unforgiving and permits the eventual recipient just one or two hiccups throughout an entire calendar year. And Rashford, 27, has no doubt in his mind who should follow in the aforementioned Rodri’s footsteps.
The Spanish midfielder’s ACL injury saw him ruled out for the majority of the 2024/25 campaign, meaning that he’s not going to retain his status. But who does Manchester-born Rashford believe should take the cake at this year’s ceremony, which is set to be held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on September 22?
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Cristiano Ronaldo has praised Lamine Yamal but wouldn't award him this year's Ballon d'Or.
None other than Lamine Yamal, who is – already, at the tender age of 17 – widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world. The Barcelona winger has taken the footballing world by storm and speaking glowingly of the world-beater, Rashford said:
“It depends on how you look at it. Just off footballing ability, I think he [Yamal] has to win. But then if you look at Dembele in the Champions League, of course he can win. Depends how you see it. I would not be disappointed if either of them won it.”
Ousmane Dembele aside, the Englishman said that it’s almost impossible to understand what Yamal is capable of at his age. “It is difficult to put into words because he is not supposed to be doing that at 16, 17 years old,” he said. “He is playing at the highest level at 16. I do not think we have seen this before.”
Just recently, an out-of-sorts Rashford revealed that he would love to play with the teenage sensation, who managed to score 18 goals and provided 25 assists for Hansi Flick’s Spanish heavyweights last season. On the 17-year-old, he said:
“Yeah, for sure. Everybody in the world wants to play with the best, you know. So, hopefully, we will see.”
Rashford’s Manchester United future is heavily in doubt – he was sent out on loan, to Aston Villa, last term and (by his own words) would love to play alongside the Spaniard. Whether Nico Williams’ inevitable move to Barcelona prevents that from coming to fruition, however, remains to be seen.
Lamine Yamal – 2024/25 Statistics
Competition
La Liga
Champions League
Copa del Rey
Supercopa de Espana
All statistics per Transfermarkt - correct as of 24/06/2025