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When it comes to football accolades, few are quite as highly praised as the Ballon D’or. And, with the 2025 Ballon D’or due to be chosen in around five months time now, it begs the question: is Ousmane Dembele likely to win the award, or will another star player come forward to take the win instead?

Who is in the Running to Win the Ballon D’or?

Technically speaking, any player could be in the runnings to win the Ballon D’or for a given year - however, there are usually several clear choices for the top picks. The same is just as true this year, with several players being particularly prominent in the runnings so far. These include:

• Ousmane Dembele

• Gianluigi Donnarumma

• Raphinha

• Lautaro Martinez

• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

• Mohamed Sala

While the aforementioned players are among the current favourites, Ousmane Dembele currently stands out as the bookies’ favourite. Indeed, BetVictor and Bet365 are currently offering odds of 11/8 (2.38) and 5/4 (2.25), respectively; with the next most favoured player, Lamine Yamal, only having odds of around 4/1 (5.0), it’s easy to see that Dembele is the firm pick right now.

Can Ousmane Dembele Win the Ballon D’or?

As we’ve seen, Ousmane Dembele is the bookies’ favourite by far to win the Ballon D’or, with odds far shorter than most other players. But what makes his form this season so impressive?

Well, Dembele’s always been a big name; in fact, he became the second-most expensive player ever sold after signing for Barcelona at over £135 million. However, his time in Barcelona ended up as a massive missed opportunity; so, how come he’s climbed back to such fame since then?

Well, perhaps the biggest reason for his current fame is his incredible form, scoring the most goals of any individual in the big leagues in Europe. Still, in the past, he was always a bit of a tricky player to deal with, even becoming the most fined player for Barcelona of recent times. Some had attributed that to him simply being childish - but will that behaviour return? If not, it’s safe to say he’s in with a good chance of winning the Ballon D’or, provided he can keep up his recent form.

Given this, and given that the Ballon D’or is awarded based on form, it certainly seems that he’s in with a very good chance of winning the award. Still, Lamine Yamal certainly isn’t out of the runnings, and even some of the less likely winners - including Gianluigi Donnarumma, Raphinha, Lautaro Martinez, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Mohamed Sala - could always impress the panel of judges before the winner is chosen.

Final Thoughts

With such a prestigious history, it no doubt means a lot to players to win the Ballon D’or - and for fans, it’s a great opportunity to see their favourite stars honoured for excellent form during the previous year. However, while Ousman Dembele is the strong favourite to win the Ballon D’or this year, he’s far from the only player in with a chance of being featured. So, football fans will definitely be watching with interest to see who the board favours for this season’s winner.