Ballon d'Or 2025: Hristo Stoichkov names Lamine Yamal as favourite for prize but stresses Barcelona star has 'long way to go'
Published 30/06/2025 at 11:24 GMT+1
Barcelona legend and 1994 Ballon d'Or winner Hristo Stoichkov said he believes Lamine Yamal should win this year's prize. However, the Bulgarian stressed that at 17, Yamal "is a very young boy who has a long way to go". Elsewhere, Stoichkov claimed Paris Saint-Germain duo Vitinha and Marquinhos are also in contention for the prize, after the French side's UEFA Champions League triumph.
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Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov believes Lamine Yamal should win the Ballon d’Or this year, while naming several other contenders for the prize.
Yamal starred for Barcelona as the Catalan giants claimed a domestic treble and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
At 17, should the Spaniard be presented with the Ballon d’Or, he would be the youngest winner in history.
Speaking on Carrusel Deportivo, 1994 Ballon d’Or winner Stoichkov insisted Yamal should be awarded the prize, but stressed that the teenager still has "a long way to go."
"If he wins it, I'll give it to him personally," Stoichkov said. "Lamine Yamal is a very young boy who has a long way to go. I really enjoy watching him because he has so many interesting qualities."
The Bulgarian also named Paris Saint-Germain duo Maquinhos and Vitinha as worthy contenders for the prize, after the pair played a central role in the French side winning their maiden Champions League title.
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He added: "If you tell me today that PSG's Marquinhos is the one to take him, I'd believe you too.
"Then we have Vitinha, who has also played fantastically this year. He had a spectacular championship in France and a spectacular Champions League. There are many players ready to win it."
Luis Figo is another former Barcelona player to have suggested Vitinha is in the running for the Ballon d’Or.
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Figo, speaking to Spanish outlet AS, said: "I like players like Lamine [Yamal], Vitinha, who has won everything this season, Ousmane Dembele, who has done very well too…
"It depends on whether you're looking at individual performance for the Ballon d'Or, or the titles you've won. It depends on personal taste and what you focus on when awarding this important award."
On Vitinha, he added: "He's on the list. He has a chance of winning, but, as I said, it depends on who votes and, of course, what you focus on during the season."
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