The 2025 Ballon d'Or feels like the most wide-open race for men's football's most coveted individual prize for many years.
Rodri's victory ahead of Vinicius Junior went down badly in Madrid last year and caused some raised eyebrows.
But in terms of uncertainty over where the main prize might land in Paris on Monday, you probably have to go back to before the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era to find something comparable.
After winning the Kopa Trophy last year, recognising him as the best under-21 player in the world, Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is in contention for the big prize.
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Lamine Yamal stats 2024/25: Goals, assists, trophies for Barcelona
In so many of their big games last season, even the ultimately heartbreaking UEFA Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan, Lamine Yamal was Barcelona's talisman, an ever-crackling creative spark.
Others in contention for the Ballon d'Or might boast superior statistics, but the 18-year-old can certainly hold his own in that regard.
MORE: Why Raphinha should win the 2024/25 Ballon d'Or
Building on his breakout 2023/24 campaign, Lamine Yamal racked up double figures for goals and assists across all competitions and Barca won La Liga as part of a domestic clean sweep.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 5-2 Supercopa de Espana won over Real Madrid and Barca also beat their bitter rivals in the Copa del Rey showpiece.
| Competition | Games (Starts) | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| La Liga | 35 (31) | 9 | 13 | 2,856 |
| Copa del Rey | 5 (5) | 2 | 5 | 462 |
| Supercopa de Espana | 2 (2) | 2 | 0 | 120 |
| UEFA Champions League | 13 (13) | 5 | 3 | 1,094 |
| TOTAL | 55 (51) | 18 | 21 | 4,532 |
Will Lamine Yamal win the 2025 Ballon d'Or?
Lamine Yamal's super performances for Barcelona certainly put him in with a strong chance. As a player who captures the imagination and appeals to many of our more romantic notions above football, it would not be surprising to see him prevail among voters.
Each time Lionel Messi finished above Cristiano Ronaldo, he did not have a statistically superior individual season when set against his rival. The intangibles and the way players like Lamine Yamal make people feel is important.
The most unhelpful case against probably comes from within his own dressing room. Playing on the opposite flank, Raphinha produced a numerically phenomenal season under head coach Hansi Flick, scoring 34 goals and laying on 22 assists across all competitions.
Elsewhere, Ousmane Dembele and Mohamed Salah also have very strong cases in terms of both numbers and team achievements. The presence of eight players from Paris Saint-Germain's treble winners on the 30-player shortlist might serve to split votes and hinder Dembele after the season of his career.
Salah was phenomenal for Liverpool and took home both the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards in England. A last-16 exit in the Champions League, where he made minimal impact over two legs against PSG, was an unhelpful blot on his overall body of work.