Overview

• Paris Saint‑Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé took the award after a trophy‑laden season that included the Champions League and domestic titles, and he lauded Lamine Yamal in his speech as an extraordinary talent.
• Barcelona’s 18‑year‑old finished second in the Ballon d’Or vote and retained the Kopa Trophy as best U21 player, becoming the first to defend that honor.
• Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, denounced the outcome in a video call with El Chiringuito, calling it the “greatest moral damage” and claiming “something very strange happened.”
• Placement disputes widened beyond the top two, with Bayern’s Michael Olise ranked 30th to the anger of supporters and opinion writers arguing Barça’s Raphinha was undervalued; PSG’s Vitinha placed third.
• France Football has not yet published detailed point totals, and commentary highlighted contract bonuses and the gala’s high‑profile sponsorships as reasons for greater transparency.