Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal are, to date, the two favorite growers for the Golden Ball 2025. Committed to the Club World Cup with Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé hopes to be able to style them on the wire, but he leaves with a very clear length on the Parisian and Barcelona. For the captain of the Blues (26 years old), it will therefore be necessary to wait a little more.
Next year, the 2026 World Cup will be an essential criterion for the allocation of the trophy of France Football. But if the French team came to win a third star, after 1998 and 2018, the Merengue could face another competitor: Rayan Cherki, who celebrated his first two selections during the Final Four of the League of Nations, no longer hides its ambitions.
Recently transferred from OL to Manchester City, the young attacking midfielder (21) feels that he now has all the cards in hand to tu the best players on the planet. “When we see how Rodri won the Ballon d'Or here (in 2024), it is clear that with Manchester City, it is possible and I am there for that”he announced in an interview with his club.
Rayan Cherki targets the Ballon d'Or with Manchester City
“I want to win and I think Manchester City wants to win everythingchained the ex-Lyonnais. For me, it's even better. Pep (Guardiola) said to me, 'When you have the ball, you are free'. Which is very positive for me, because it is my first quality to help the team. When I spoke to Pep, he wanted me. The system, the club, the city, everything is excellent. (…) We want to do great things. »»
The path to the Ballon d'Or is obviously still long for Rayan Cherki, who must already start by winning his place in the midfield of the Citizens and the Blues. But if he adapts quickly and well in England, Didier Deschamps will necessarily be tempted to entrust him with a slightly more important role in the France team. That's all he hopes. It's up to him to do everything to deserve it.
