Former Real Madrid and Barcelona star Luis Figo has suggested that a former Premier League flop could challenge Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal for this year's Ballon d'Or. The two wingers are believed to be among the frontrunners for the award, with the Frenchman the current favourite after guiding Paris Saint-Germain to a maiden Champions League triumph.
Figo, who knows all about lifting the famous golden ball having done so in 2000, sees things differently, though. The 52-year-old instead suggested that an unlikely candidate could usurp both Dembele and Yamal after an impressive campaign for both club and country.
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Figo Believes PSG Star Vitinha Could Win Ballon d'Or
The former Galactico gave his verdict on the midfielder's recent performances
Speaking in an interview with AS, Figo named PSG midfielder Vitinha as a player who had an outside chance of challenging the top brass for this years award. Giving his reasons, the ex-Inter Milan man explained:
"There are several players who deserve the trophy based on their season. My opinion is irrelevant; the person voting is the one who decides. But I like players like Lamine; Vitinha, who has won everything this season; Dembele, who has done very well too… It depends on whether you're looking at individual performance for the Ballon d'Or or the titles you've won.
"It depends on personal taste and what you focus on when awarding this important award. Nothing outside of what people talk about. He's [Vitinha] on the list. He has a chance of winning, but, as I said, it depends on who votes and, of course, what you focus on during the season."
Vitinha was a crucial part of Luis Enrique's side who stormed to domestic and European glory this past season, while he also picked up international honours with Portugal as they were crowned Nations League champions for the second time.
Should he win the Ballon d'Or, it would be a shocking turn of events from a player who once struggled on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he played 22 games at an average of 32 minutes a game during the 2020/21 season.
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Figo Plays Down Mbappe's Ballon d'Or Chances
Figo does not believe the Frenchman's debut season at Real Madrid will earn him the award
One player that Figo doesn't believe has done enough to be considered for the award is Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman had a slow start during his debut season at Real Madrid, but finished the term with the most goal contributions of any new signing in the club's history.
The 26-year-old was widely expected to have won the trophy by this point in his career, but has failed to do so, and with Los Blancos struggling this past year, Figo doesn't rate the forward's chances.
"Things weren't so great at first, but he's done well since then," explained the Portuguese hero.
"He's scored a lot of goals and has adapted to playing for Real Madrid, which is totally different from playing for any other team. What could rule him out for individual trophies is his lack of major team titles, but we'll see what happens. He's a name that's always on the lists of the best in the world, there's no doubt about it."
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 26/06/2025.