Who will be the lucky one? The Golden Ball 2025 will be awarded in September, and two names already dominate the discussions: Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal. The Parisian and the Barcelona are the subject of real promotion campaigns from their clubs and supporters. But in a year marked by individual exploits, difficult to decide. The example of Rodri, a surprise winner in 2024, recalls that everything is possible.
Among the outsiders, a candidate is gaining ground: Achraf Hakimi. The right side of PSG comes out of an exceptional season with 11 goals and 16 assists in 55 games in all competitions. Regular, decisive and omnipresent in the big meetings, the Moroccan marked the spirits. What legitimize his candidacy for the prestigious trophy, according to Hervé Renard.
The former coach of Morocco (2016-2019), who launched Hakimi among the Atlas Lions, has not been praised about him in an interview with 360 Sport. “Its evolution is exceptional. From Dortmund to Inter Milan, then in Paris Saint-Germain, he only joined major clubs, which testifies fully of his talent ”first underlined Renard.
“He is the Ballon d'Or”
“He is one of the best players in the world today. He is, for me, the Ballon d'Or of this season as it has been exceptional, regular and decisive in all his performance. Today, Achraf Hakimi is the best player on the continent. And given his young age (26 years old), he is far from having finished enriching his record »he continued. Renard also remembered his early choice to summon him at 18: “At the time, Nasser Larguet, then national technical director, had already made me many praises about him”.
Between the Dembélé, Yamal favorites, and an outsider as complete as Achraf Hakimi, the 2025 edition of the Ballon d'Or may well reserve a new surprise. Verdict at the Théâtre du Châtelet, September 22.
