Ousman Dembele and Mohamed Salah: Ballon D’Or Condender compared in front of PSG against Liverpool in the Champions League

If your main football maintenance is a premier league, there is no doubt that you already have Mohamed Salah as your Shoo-in for Ballon d’Or.

This is a safe prediction, but there is another awful wing player, who had a particularly radiant start by 2025, giving Salah running for his money in Ousman Dembele.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker equalized the record of Lionel Messi of 17 goals in the first two months of the calendar year last week, surpassing the best record of Cristiano Ronaldo (16) for January and February in the process.

Salah and Dembele come face to face in the Champions League for the last 16 this week; A match that could have a huge impact on their entries for the largest player award of 2025. Here Sky Sports evaluates their chances …

Ousmans Dembele

This undoubtedly was Dembele’s best season so far at the age of 27, and there are several reasons why everything is gathering at the right time: a new tactical role, a higher responsibility, a good management and Dembele maturity.

He has always been extremely talented, but his game related to balance all his property – dribbling, assists and goals – into a consistent, finished product. Luis Enrique and his staff helped him to do so, and he answered, taking responsibility for the space left by Kylian Mbappe and was selfish, while acting as a false nine, as well as on the right wing.

The result was 18 goals in 22 appearances of Ligue 1, with five assists, and six more goals and assistance in the Champions League, which means that he has a total of 26 goals and six assists in 33 appearances in all competitions-he exceeds his previous season, when he scored 14 goals and registered seven assists for Barcelona in 2018-19.

For France, during their campaign by Uefa Nations League, Dembele played in four of his six games and scored against Belgium. Later this month, he should stand out in their quarterfinals with Croatia and can help his offer for Ballon d’Or or if he directs France into the title of national leagues.

It is understood that PSG staff believes that if Dembele can start PSG outside Liverpool in the last stages of the Champions League, instead of Salah, it will catapult the right to the front of the prize order.

Recently former midfielder France and Bordeaux Rio Mavuba told Foot In France that if he was on it, he would already choose Dembele over Salah. He said, “I choose Ousman’s Dembele today. Why? Because in the process of reinforcement of the level and younger. But even from a coaching perspective, I would still go with Dembele because he manages to be determined, even in key moments.”

His former Stade Rennais manager also recently commented: “He fully took the leadership of the Paris offensive game. I’m not surprised, just proud of him and I’m very happy about him, because I know it measured him not to finish better. Today, we can feel that he is completely released and filled with the way he is used.”

Mohamed Salah

Salah is probably a clear leader and is undoubtedly the favorite favorite for Ballon D’Or, after rising his best form for another amazing campaign so far, placing a Liverpool on the Premier League title in the first season of Arne Slot.

Probably comprehensive statists who best transmit his influence is the percentage of points that have given him goals and assistants; About 33 of Reds 67. This is just under 49.3 percent, far beyond any other Premier League player.

At the age of 32, the amazing 25 goals and 17 assists in the league are astonishing, especially if you consider how much the season has acted at such a high level – and as long as the uncertainty of the expiration of expiration over it.

There are half goals in the Champions League, which makes Dembele (3), but three other assists, while his efforts at Carabao Cup means that he is currently on 30 goals and 22 assists in all competitions so far this season – ahead of Dembele.

Last month at Villa Park, Salah equalized his own record of Lionel Messi, achieving and helping in 10 different games in one season in the five biggest leagues in Europe, he just did so within seven months, while Messi did it at 10.

Slot recently acknowledged that, historically, the winner of the Ballon D’Or also has to win silver accessories, but Liverpool and PSG are paired on their journey to their leagues, the winner of the Champions League winners could be a clinch.

“It’s not just about the amount of awards you win, but most of those who won the league or a Champions League,” said the Dutchman. “But football is always like that – you need a team to win an individual award. But I understand it. It’s mostly about attackers, but the last winner was a midfielder. A good thing can be discussed because that means doing good, which means we are doing well.

Fact 13 of the last 18 Balloon D’Or winners have won the European elite competition further weight.