When the 2024-25 season kicked off, Kylian Mbappe was already anointed the inheritor to soccer’s vacant throne, left behind by the dual greats, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
This 12 months’s Ballon d’Or, as soon as dominated by acquainted names and spreadsheet stats, is now within the fingers of youthful, freer footballers.
For the primary time in a long time, two of the highest three contenders had by no means even cracked the highest 30.
It’s greater than a generational shift, it’s a philosophical one.
As Neymar prepares to hold up his boots and Luka Modric eases into twilight, soccer is shedding the pores and skin of system-heavy ways and inflexible analytics.
In its place: aptitude, danger, expression. Less Guardiola’s City, extra Brazil in ’58.
Young blood
At season’s begin, Barcelona put their religion in a 17-year-old prodigy. Lamine Yamal was thrust into the highlight as Hansi Flick’s facet took on the daunting mission of dethroning a star-studded Real Madrid.
Madrid, the defending La Liga champions, had simply added French famous person Mbappe to a squad already boasting Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. On paper, they had been runaway favorites. Barcelona had been underdogs – younger, uncooked, unsure.
And but, the defining image of this footballing revolution wasn’t carrying white. It was Yamal in blaugrana.
At simply 17, the Barcelona and Spain sensation is reshaping how the world sees elite soccer.
Under Flick, Yamal isn’t simply a part of the system, he’s the system.
In the 2024-25 marketing campaign, he’s tallied 18 targets and 25 assists throughout all competitions, together with 9 targets and 12 assists in La Liga and 4 targets and 5 assists within the Champions League.
He was the undisputed star of Spain’s Euro 2024 title run, claiming the Young Player of the Tournament after a string of dazzling shows–one aim, 4 assists, and an aura that screamed Pele in Stockholm.
What units Yamal aside isn’t simply his numbers.
It’s his gravitational pull and opponents swarm him the way in which they as soon as did Messi, or Steph Curry within the NBA.
Yamal’s versatility speaks to the instances.
He shifts from proper wing to false 9 to deep-lying creator with ease, liberating Barcelona from the shackles of positional rigidity.
His Champions League semifinal efficiency in opposition to Inter Milan, although in a dropping trigger, was fearless: seven photographs on course, one off the publish, and fixed menace.
Gary Lineker labeled him “a generational talent,” whereas Rio Ferdinand marveled at his maturity past his years.
Despite Barcelona falling brief within the Champions League, Yamal’s Ballon d’Or case stays agency.
His youth, output and narrative make for a compelling bundle.
He’s main La Liga’s high staff, helped ship a European crown for Spain final summer season, and is ready to change into the youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever, surpassing Ronaldo’s 1997 file at age 23.
The competitors heats up
Yet the trail hasn’t been with out resistance.
Erling Haaland has netted roughly 25 targets for Manchester City this season.
Madrid’s Mbappe has round 20.
Vinicius Junior delivered too – 15 targets and 10 assists.
These are confirmed forces on Champions League-winning squads.
While Yamal redefines roles, voters should still favor the simplicity of aim tallies. The “Spreadsheet FC” mindset lingers. Still, a 30%-40% probability of successful feels honest for Yamal. Even a top-three end can be historic.
Raphinha and Dembele: The darkish horses
Behind him within the dialog are two names with contrasting types and trajectories – Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele.
Raphinha, additionally at Barcelona, simply had a career-best season.
At 28, he stepped out of the shadows and into management.
With 18 targets and 12 assists in La Liga, plus 13 targets and 9 assists within the Champions League, he’s been essential to Flick’s tactical puzzle.
His second of brilliance got here in a 4-2 win over Real Madrid, the place he scored twice and arrange one other, silencing the Bernabeu.
What Raphinha lacks in stardust, he makes up for in grit and steadiness.
He presses onerous, averaging 2.5 tackles per sport, and performs throughout the entrance line with an vitality few match.
But not like Yamal, he doesn’t warp defenses.
He contributes constantly, sure, however doesn’t command the identical focus or awe. It’s unlikely he lifts the Ballon d’Or.
A top-10 end is extra real looking. Still, for somebody who had by no means made the highest 30 earlier than, his rise is emblematic of 2025’s theme: alternative knocking for the beforehand neglected.
Then there’s Dembele.
Now thriving at Paris Saint-Germain, the 27-year-old Frenchman is having fun with a resurgent 12 months.
He has emerged as PSG’s offensive spearhead within the 2024-25 season, dazzling with electrifying tempo and unpredictable aptitude inside their free-flowing assault.
In Ligue 1, he netted 21 targets and supplied six assists over 29 appearances, sharing the league’s high scorer honors with Marseille’s Mason Greenwood.
His affect carried into the Champions League, the place he tallied eight targets and 6 assists in 15 matches, highlighted by a hat trick in opposition to VfB Stuttgart and decisive performances in victories over Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City, plus two assists in PSG’s dominant 5-0 Champions League closing win in opposition to Inter Milan.
Across all competitions, Dembele amassed 33 targets and 15 assists in 49 appearances, incomes Ligue 1 Player of the Year, UEFA Champions League Player of the Season, and a spot within the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.
His deadly dribbling, finishing 66 profitable take-ons at a fee of two.08 per 90 minutes, and prolific capturing (73 photographs with 49 on course in Ligue 1) have cemented his standing as PSG’s high attacking pressure, even outpacing Mbappe in total output.
Dembele’s blistering tempo and unpredictability make him a nightmare for defenses in open house, particularly inside PSG’s fluid attacking trio, the place his creativity and menace proceed to shine.
But right here’s the catch: Ligue 1 wrapped up in January. PSG ran away with it. And whereas Dembele’s numbers impress, the context hurts. Ligue 1’s decrease issue score, paired with Dembele’s extra supporting function to Mbappe within the nationwide staff, diminishes his Ballon d’Or weight.
He’s by no means been within the high 30 both, and although his Champions League showings have shiny moments, he hasn’t seized the highlight the way in which high contenders do.
He could crack second place. But gold? A miracle is required.
Source: www.dailysabah.com