Rio Ferdinand seems to be pretty invested in the Ballon d’Or. He never won the prize himself, but as a pundit, he loves to offer his thoughts on the matter.
He reached the pinnacle of the game with Manchester United, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time at Old Trafford. In retirement, he’s become a familiar voice as a commentator in many high-profile games.
During the 2023/24 Champions League final, he went viral as he repeatedly chanted “Ballon d’Or” as Vinicius Junior scored in Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Many fans found the moment rather grating, but at the very least, Ferdinand was showing just how invested he is in the race for football’s biggest individual prize.
Speaking to One Football ahead of this years’ Champions League final, he has now predicted the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner.
Rio Ferdinand Backs Ousmane Dembele For 2025 Ballon d’Or
Believes PSG must win the Champions League first
Inter Milan will meet Paris Saint-Germain in the 2024/25 Champions League final, and it’s hard to be sure who will be the winner, with no clear favourite. Interestingly enough, the same can be said of the Ballon d’Or race for this season.
Barcelona stars Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are currently frontrunners, while Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has also been touted by some. From the two finalists, Ousmane Dembele and Lautaro Martinez are the strongest contenders.
With that in mind, Ferdinand has picked French winger Dembele as his favourite to win the award. However, he feels it will only be a sure thing if the PSG ace can play a key role in guiding his team to Champions League glory first. He explained:
“Who is going to win the Ballon d’Or? I’m gonna go… If Dembele affects the final, Dembele wins.”
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The race for the 2025 Ballon d’Or award is heating up with Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele among the front-runners.
Champions League Winner Hasn’t Always Won Ballon d’Or
Rodri won it in 2024 after Premier League and Euros success
As alluded to before, Ferdinand has been known to put too much weight on the Champions League before. Last year, he felt that Vini Jr was a shoo-in for the prize after his final-winning display.
He famously said: “Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Vinicius has just taken the Ballon d’Or.”
That proved to be wrong with Rodri claiming the 2024 Ballon d’Or off the back of a season which saw him lift the Premier League with Manchester City, and Euro 2024 with Spain.
This time around, there is no international summer tournament, meaning players will be judged almost entirely on their performance at club level. With that in mind, the winner of the Champions League will certainly give their hopes a major boost.
That said, Lionel Messi managed five of his eight Ballon d’Or wins without lifting the Champions League (in 2023, 2021, 2019, 2012, 2010). Cristiano Ronaldo also picked up one of his gongs in 2013, having not won the tournament. What’s more, between 2006 and 2003, Fabio Cannavaro, Ronaldinho, Andriy Shevchenko, and Pavel Nedved all failed to win the Champions League but still went home with the prize.
It will certainly be interesting to see how things play out in 2025.