Former Real Madrid player Alvaro Benito has said that two other players also deserved to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or after Ousmane Dembele was named the winner. He also raised questions on the voting process for the most prestigious individual award in the footballing world.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) winger Ousmane Dembele was named the winner of the 2025 Men's Ballon d'Or at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday, September 2. Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal finished second while PSG midfielder Vitinha secured third place.
Liverpool icon Mohamed Salah and Barcelona attacker Raphina rounded out the top five. Alvaro Benito has said that Dembele certainly deserves the award for his exceptional performances while representing PSG last season as they secured four trophies.
The former Real Madrid defender praised Barcelona midfielder Pedri for the way he plays. He also claimed that Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe also deserved the accolade. He said, as quoted by GOAL:
"The criteria for this award do influence collective achievements, and I believe that should always be the case. But then, since it's a purely subjective assessment by the people who vote, and you see when the votes are broken down from each country, each one favors their own country or neighboring countries."
Benito added:
"That's why I don't quite believe this award. Nor can there be very objective criteria. Of course Dembele deserves it. He's had the best season of his career with a team that was the best in Europe from January until the end of the season, playing extraordinary football and with very good numbers."
The former Real Madrid player concluded:
"[But I want to make it clear] that Pedri plays football like an angel, there's no doubt about it. That Lamine Yamal is a more attractive player, well, surely. That [Kylian] Mbappe seems to me to be a better player than Dembele, well, he is. In terms of potential, the two best attackers in the world are Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. But we can't say much more about individual titles."
Ousmane Dembele played a crucial role in PSG's success last season as they won the quadruple, including the Champions League. He scored 35 goals and gave 16 assists in 53 matches across all competitions for Luis Enrique's side last campaign.