There are not so many of them having received votes for first place in the Golden Ball race 2025. Eight, exactly, with obviously the big final winner, Ousmane Dembélé. A performance that underlines the domination of French over the season, surrounded by its titles and its influence both in club and selection. Some, however announced as credible outsiders, did not have this privilege. This is the case of Raphinha, the Brazilian of FC Barcelona, whose beautiful year was not enough to convince the voters to place it at the very top.
On the other hand, Lamine Yamal (11 votes), Dauphin de Dembélé, Vitinha (6), Mohamed Salah (4), Achraf Hakimi (1), Kylian Mbappé (1), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (1) and… Scott McTominay (1) were entitled to this symbolic honor. For the Scottish, author of a remarkable season in Serie A, it remains a little surprise. But it is also a reflection of the limits of this voting system, which attributes to each country a representative responsible for drawing up a personal top 6.
The Scottish journalist John Greechan thus placed Mctuminay in mind, in front of Hakimi, Salah, Yamal, Dumfries and Mac Allister (whose Scottish roots have undoubtedly weighed in the balance). Dembélé, the final winner, does not even appear in its ranking. Same observation for Kvaratskhelia, who owes his first place to the voice of the Georgian representative.
Not all have chosen this nationalist path: Henry Winter, an eminent English journalist, for example did not slip Cole Palmer, 8th in the general classification, in his top 10. An example of probity that contrasts with certain more questionable selections.
