Ballon d'Or winner - Henry has no doubt
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 19.09.25. | 23:38
The legendary French striker is certain about who will receive the prestigious football award
The era when only two men traded Ballon d’Or awards year after year is over. The fact that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are approaching the ends of their careers has left football a little poorer, but it has undoubtedly made the race for the Ballon d’Or far more exciting.
Last year’s Ballon d’Or voting sparked a lot of hype and rivalry between those who supported Rodri and those who valued Vinicius Junior more. In the end, the Spaniard won convincingly, and a new race has now begun—a race that will conclude on Monday, September 22, at the ceremony in Paris, when the 2025 Ballon d’Or is awarded.
In the CBS Sports studio, Jamie Carragher highlighted six candidates: Rafinha, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Lamine Jamal, and Achraf Hakimi. However, legendary Thierry Henry had no doubt about who deserves football’s most prestigious individual award.
“I don’t need to say anything, just look at these photos,” he said, showing six pictures, each featuring Ousmane Dembélé. “We can talk about many players who had a strong season, but for me, he’s the only one who deserves the award,” Henry declared categorically.
Thierry Henry reveals his six favorites for the Ballon d'Or, and it's all Ousmane Dembélé: "I don't even need to talk; you just have to look at the picture (his favorites). We can talk about many players, but for me, he's going to win it. pic.twitter.com/LcjgFvwTmt
— Football Focus (@Footballfocus98) September 19, 2025
To recap, one journalist from each country ranked among FIFA’s top 100 will have a vote for the Ballon d’Or. Each journalist awards points to five players from the 30 nominees, giving six, four, three, two, and one point.
Instructions to journalists specify that they should consider “individual and collective achievements during the 2024/2025 season (goals, assists, trophies won, contribution to the team), as well as talent and fair play—that is, how much the player demonstrates footballing class, sportsmanship, and consistency.”
In recent years (specifically since 2022), less emphasis has been placed on a player’s overall impression or past career, with focus instead solely on what was achieved during the 12-month period (in this case, from July 15, 2024, to July 14, 2025). This means that EURO 2024 in Germany does not count toward this year’s calculation, but the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S. does.
