Barcelona legend Ronaldinho is set to present the 2025 Ballon d’Or in Paris on Monday night, with Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal standing out as the main contenders for football’s most prestigious award.
Dembele, coming off a treble-winning season with Paris Saint-Germain, is widely viewed as the favourite. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Yamal has earned global attention after his impressive breakthrough year at Barcelona.
According to Cadena COPE, Ronaldinho, who claimed the Ballon d’Or in 2005, will act as guest of honour and hand over the prize. Originally, organisers had lined up another former Barcelona star, Hristo Stoichkov, for the role, but later opted for Ronaldinho.
Not all top players will be present in Paris. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe has confirmed he will watch the event from home, openly supporting his French compatriot Dembele. Barcelona’s Pedri and Robert Lewandowski are also set to miss the ceremony, as neither is a strong contender this year.
There is still some uncertainty over whether Dembele will attend. PSG’s Ligue 1 clash with Marseille was rescheduled, and he was initially left out of Luis Enrique’s squad due to injury. This situation could allow him to travel for the Ballon d’Or while his teammates prepare for the league match.
