Yamal’s father fumes over Dembele’s Ballon d’Or win, insists ‘something strange has happened’

Mounir Nasraoui, father of Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal, has voiced his frustration after Ousmane Dembele was crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner on Monday night.

France Football named the Paris Saint-Germain winger as the world’s best player, following a stellar season in which Dembele inspired his club to multiple trophies—including the UEFA Champions League.

Barcelona’s teenage prodigy Yamal, just 18 and only in his second full senior campaign, finished runner-up, while PSG midfielder Vitinha completed the podium in third place.

Yamal enjoyed an extraordinary season of his own, scoring 18 goals and providing 25 assists across all competitions as Barcelona claimed a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup. Yet, his father believes the accolade should have gone to his son.

Speaking to Spanish outlet El Chiringuito, Nasraoui said:
“He [Yamal] is the greatest. I’m not going to say theft, but rather moral damage to a human being. Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world by far. It’s not just because he’s my son, but because he’s the best player in the world.
Lamine is Lamine. We have to say that something strange has happened here. Next year it’s ours. Next year the Ballon d’Or will be Spanish.”

Opinion:
In truth, both Dembele and Yamal had campaigns worthy of Ballon d’Or glory. Dembele finally delivered on years of potential, becoming PSG’s talisman on the biggest stage, while Yamal continued to dazzle with maturity far beyond his age, making history almost every time he stepped onto the pitch.

But this debate reveals the unique magic of football’s greatest individual award: it’s not always about who is technically the best, but who captures the defining narrative of a season. For Dembele, it was redemption and leadership on the European stage; for Yamal, it was prodigious brilliance and the promise of an era to come.

Nasraoui’s passion is understandable—every parent sees greatness in their child—but on this occasion, perhaps the Ballon d’Or committee leaned towards experience and silverware over youth and potential. Yet, if Yamal keeps soaring at this pace, it feels inevitable that his time at the very top of the podium is just around the corner.

For now, football fans can delight in the fact that the sport is witnessing a generational passing of the torch: Dembele finally getting his flowers, and Yamal proving he is not just the future, but already one of the best in the present.