The 2025 Ballon d’Or award ceremony is just five months away, but renowned Italian coach Fabio Capello has already announced his top three choices for the esteemed individual honour.
The current top two players in GiveMeSport’s Ballon d’Or Power Rankings are Raphinha of Barcelona and Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain. The wingers from Brazil and France have had fantastic seasons with their teams and have a great chance of finishing on the podium.
Surprisingly, though, Capello would not now rank Dembele or Raphinha among his top three. There’s little doubt that some people will take issue with the former England manager’s selections.
Capello’s Top Three For 2025 Ballon d’Or
Lamine Yamal currently gets the veteran tactician’s vote
Despite his best efforts against Inter Milan in the semi-finals, Lamine Yamal was unable to lead Barcelona to this season’s Champions League final; yet, the 17-year-old is now Capello’s choice for the Ballon d’Or. The Spain international would break Ronaldo Nazario’s longstanding record and become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in football history if he is declared the winner on October 27.
On July 13, the incredible Lamine Yamal, who is already widely regarded as the greatest football player in the world, turns eighteen. In 1997, at the age of 21, 3 months, and 5 days, Brazilian Ronaldo took home the Ballon d’Or.
According to Capello, he would pick Lamine Yamal as the winner, followed by Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid. Vinicius and all Real Madrid supporters were upset that Rodri of Manchester City had won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, but the Brazilian’s chances of taking home the trophy this year have been severely damaged following Los Blancos’ elimination from the Champions League quarterfinals by Arsenal.
Vinicius Jr. vs. Mbappe vs. Lamine Yamal (2024-25 Stats)
Looks
Objectives
Helps
Yamal Lamine
52
16
24
Vinicius Jr.
50
20
16
Mbappe Kylian
52
38
4.
After losing last weekend’s Clasico 4-3, Real Madrid is also expected to finish as runners-up to Barcelona in the La Liga race, significantly diminishing Vinicius Jr.’s prospects of taking home the 2025 Ballon d’Or. Carlo Ancelotti, who will take over as Brazil’s new head coach, is anticipated to be replaced as Real Madrid manager at the end of the current campaign by Xabi Alonso.
However, Capello would still rank Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. beneath Lamine Yamal on his Ballon d’Or podium. According to Mundo Deportivo, Capello told El Partidazo de COPE:
“I would vote for Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d’Or. Vinicius, Mbappe, and first Lamine Yamal are the players I would vote for.
Capello Can’t Compare Lamine Yamal to Messi and Maradona
‘I don’t see the genius of a phenomenon in him’
Despite being Capello’s first pick for the Ballon d’Or, the teenager hasn’t persuaded the 78-year-old that he should be in the same conversion as Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. He went on to say:
Although Lamine Yamal is a talented player with a lot of room for improvement, I don’t think he has the brilliance of a phenomenon. I can’t compare him to Messi or Maradona at the moment because they accomplished things that no one could have predicted.
Capello clarified, saying, “I’m talking about quality and ingenuity, not quantity. [Cristiano] Ronaldo is a very talented athlete. And what is his target total? Above all others. However, he cannot be Maradona or Messi.
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