But did Dembélé do enough to tip the likes of Vitinha and Lamine Yamal?
After another crazy season of football, it’s set to be another fiercely contested Ballon d’Or. Last year, Manchester City’s Rodri claimed the award despite strong competition from Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior. This year, it looks like another two horse race as Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal are the most likely to take the prestigious award. Despite strong support for Yamal to surpass Ronaldo Nozario to become the youngest ever Ballon d’Or winner, Dembélé has backing from within Bayern Munich, specifically from Dayot Upamecano.
“He’s come a long way. We’ve gone through a lot together. We went to school together. We always knew he would become a very big player – and today he’s one of the best in the world.” said the French center-back (via @iMiaSanMia).
It remains to be seen whether Upamecano’s childhood friend will go from “one of the best in the world” to the best in the world. Dembélé is the favourite going into the award, however, stranger things have happened in football.
The award ceremony takes place at 9:00 PM (CET) on 22 September, 2025 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France. Be sure to catch it to find out who, according to France Football at least, is dubbed the best player in the world.
Bayern Munich will get some down time…not much, but some.
The Bavarians are not back in action until Friday against Werder Bremen, so a day or two of rest will not be such a bad thing for a squad coming off of an arduous week.
Let’s check in on where things stand with Bayern Munich and some other hot topics as well. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show:
- A heat check on the position groups.
- Why were so many fans unhappy with a 4-1 win over Hoffenheim?
- People were quick to bury Lennart Karl, and how about that resurgent effort from Kim Min-jae.
- Could this season convince Harry Kane to see out his deal and what would it take for Kane to win the Ballon d’Or?
- An update on the striker market for 2026 — with notes on Kane, Dušan Vlahović, and Erling Haaland.
- A farewell to a legend.
Category: General Sports
