Thierry Henry Names His Clear Ballon d’Or Winner Without Hesitation

Thierry Henry revealed his clear winner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or ahead of next week's ceremony.

This year's Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place next Monday as a slew of superstars are in contention to win the prestigious individual prize.

Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah are among the candidates to win the Ballon d'Or.

Dembele inspired Paris Saint-Germain to four major trophies last season, including the Champions League, and Yamal starred for Barcelona and helped Spain win last summer's Euro 2024.

Mbappe and Salah also produced heroics for Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively.

After Wednesday's round of Champions League games, which included victories for Barca and Manchester City, Jamie Caragher and Henry discussed the Ballon d'Or on CBS Sports.

Kate Scott, who will be hosting the Ballon d'Or, brought up the Ballon d'Or race and pressed Carragher and Henry for their winners.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place next Monday. Image: Getty

Carragher named Dembele, Mbappe, Salah, Yamal, Raphinha and Achraf Hakimi as his contenders, calling them 'the top six players'.

But the Liverpool legend backed Dembele to win the prize following his season with PSG.

As for Henry, he named just one contender - underlining who he thinks should win the accolade.

He put forward fellow countryman Dembele, stating 'I don't even have to talk'.

Thierry Henry says Ousmane Dembele should win this year's Ballon d'Or. Image: Getty

PSG sporting director Luis Campos insists Ousmane Dembele should win the Ballon d'Or over Lamine Yamal

Dembele enjoyed a spectacular campaign last season, scoring an impressive 35 goals across all competitions.

PSG sporting director Luis Campos has refuted suggestions that Yamal should win the Ballon d'Or, arguing Dembele's case.

"We're looking at Lamine Yamal as a huge player for the future. But we're talking about a very specific season. The record has been decisive in all the previous years, and what has Lamine Yamal won? The Spanish league," Campos said.

He added: "PSG has nine nominees for the Ballon d'Or. We're very happy and very proud. Other players also deserve to be there, like [Bradley] Barcola and [William] Pacho. Ousmane Dembele scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists. He was voted best player in the Champions League, best player in his league. He finished as the top scorer in his league. He won everything.

"Whether his name is Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, there's no discussion."