One of Europe's most in-form performers is currently the third favourite to win this year's Ballon d'Or after he capped off a superb individual campaign by winning the Champions League and Nations League.
It was a comment that made the football world stand up and take notice.
Ahead of Sunday's Nations League final between Spain and Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo named his three contenders for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, which will be announced in September at the Theatre du Chatelet, Paris.
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“The individual awards have lost some consensus; I can’t say anything about who should win," he began. "In my opinion, those who stand out and win the Champions League should win.”
Ronaldo added: "But there is no consensus. I don’t believe much in individual awards because I know what goes on behind the scenes. Lamine could win, like Dembele or Vitinha, other emerging players, but individual awards are irrelevant.”
PSG and France forward Ousmane Dembele, who scored 32 goals in all competitions across 2024/25, is currently the bookies favourite to win the award at 4/9 with Bet365, while Barcelona's Lamine Yamal is a close second at 2/1.
Vitinha, meanwhile, has seen his odds drop from 50/1 to 12/1 overnight, after he helped Portugal win the Nations League.
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The 25-year-old midfielder was named in the Ligue 1 and Champions League team of the season, after PSG won a domestic treble under the brilliant Luis Enrique, who recently named Vitinha as one of the best midfielders in the world.
"Vitinha is unique, there's no doubt about it," said Enrique. "He occupies a vital position for us: that of pivot. He's a player who has the ability to hold on to the ball and not lose it.
"Physically, he brings a lot to the table. He can pass, he can score, he's physically strong, with an impressive mentality. For me, it's a real pleasure to have a player like Vitinha."
2025 Ballon d'Or odds in full
As mentioned above, Ousmane Dembele is currently the bookies favourite to lift his first Ballon d'Or following a superb campaign for PSG, while Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe and Desire Doue also feature in the standings, as per Oddschecker.
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Ousmane Dembele - 4/9
Lamine Yamal - 2/1
Vitinha - 12/1
Kylian Mbappe 16/1
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Mohamed Salah - 25/1
Raphinha - 25/1
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 50/1
Pedri - 50/1
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Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - 66/1
Desire Doue - 66/1
Achraf Hakimi - 66/1
Topics: Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo, Champions League, UEFA Nations League
Jack Kenmare