Gareth Bale snubs Real Madrid stars Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior and picks Ousmane Dembele to win Ballon d’Or
The Welshman has had his say on he think is the best player in the world.
Gareth Bale has thrown his support behind Ousmane Dembele to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, claiming the Paris Saint-Germain forward is ahead of the pack “by some way.”
Dembele is set to feature in Sunday’s Club World Cup final, where PSG will take on Chelsea in what could be the final step in a historic season for the French club.
PSG have already secured the Ligue 1 title and, most notably, lifted their first-ever Champions League trophy in May, routing Inter Milan 5-0 in a dominant final performance in Munich.
Central to their success has been Dembele. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a phenomenal campaign, recording 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 appearances across all competitions.
Speaking to ESPN, former Wales, Tottenham, and Real Madrid winger Bale made his pick of Dembele over Real Madrid stars Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior for the strongest Ballon d’Or credentials.
Just two seasons ago, Ousmane Dembele was struggling for regular gametime at Barcelona.
This season he has contributed to 50 goals, won a treble and is the Ballon d’Or favourite ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/9LDzNYOmcW
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) July 10, 2025
“Yeah, I think so. I think you also have to look what the teams have won,” Bale said.
“I think everyone obviously talks about individuals, but I think if you are winning those trophies as well, you’re winning the Champions League, obviously they’ve won their domestic treble, if they win again the Club World Cup, it’s hard to see anyone else from the season he’s had and he’s transformed them into trophies as well as the season he’s had.
“It does make him the front runner by some way in my opinion.”
PSG’s domestic dominance has extended beyond the league title – they’ve also claimed the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions this year.
Victory in the Club World Cup final would complete a clean sweep of silverware for Luis Enrique’s squad, cementing a campaign that could go down as one of the most successful in club football history – and perhaps confirming Dembele’s status as the world’s best player this season.