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Ballon d’Or 2025: No Rodri-Vinicius debate as Osumane Dembele reigns

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Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele finally won the 2025 Ballon d’Or award.

The France international won the prestigious individual prize ahead of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (second), PSG’s Vitinha (third), Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (fourth) and Barcelona’s Raphinha (fifth) on Monday night in Paris, France.

The 28-year-old emerged as the winner because of his standout performances for PSG in the year under review.

Dembele registered 39 goals and 14 assists from 61 games across all competitions for the Parisians.

He played a key role as he led Luis Enrique’s side to win the UEFA Champions League trophy, the French Ligue 1 title, the French Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

The former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund star was named the French Ligue 1 Player of the Season, Champions League Player of the Season, and he also won the Ligue 1 Golden Boot.

However, his top contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, Yamal, helped Barcelona win the LaLiga and the Copa del Rey last season.

Yamal scored 19 goals and provided 24 assists from 65 games across competitions for Barca.

But his failure to win the UEFA Nations League and the UEFA Champions League might have cost him the coveted prize this year.

Ekwutosblog reports that this year’s Ballon d’Or top two (Dembele and Yamal) created little or no debate compared to last year’s top two contenders, Manchester City’s Rodri and Real Madrid’s Vinicius.

Recall that Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or ahead of Vinicius, who came in second place.

But several fans, football icons and pundits argued that the Brazilian international should have won the top individual prize ahead of the Spain international.

Real Madrid were disappointed and did not send Vinicius or anyone to the Ballon d’Or event at the Theatre du Châtelet in Paris.

Speaking with Ekwutosblog on Monday night, former TTC Football Academy coach Emmanuel Brown insisted that Dembele deserved the award ahead of Yamal.

According to him, the Frenchman was key to PSG’s success both domestically and in Europe.

He added that Dembele beating Yamal to the Ballon d’Or did not create a debate or argument like when Rodri won the award ahead of Vinicius last year.

“First and foremost, I want to say a big congratulations to Dembele for winning the Ballon d’Or to become the best player in the world,” Brown said.

“He truly deserves the Ballon d’Or ahead of Yamal, and there should be no debate about it, like what we saw between Rodri and Vinicius in the last edition.

“A well-deserved one for him [Dembele]. I’m happy for him because he has truly developed and matured in the game, right from when he was at Dortmund and Barcelona.

“Dembele is also a humble player who you hardly see having issues with coaches or teammates.

“Of course, he was a key player for PSG last season, leading them to win their first-ever UEFA Champions League after winning the Ligue 1 title.

“He is a fantastic player and I hope he continues his top performances for PSG this season. As for Yamal, as long as he continues playing for Barcelona, he will surely win the Ballon d’Or in his career.”

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Chelsea mathematically out of title race after 3-0 defeat to Everton

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Chelsea are now mathematically out of the Premier League title race.

This follows their 3-0 drubbing in the hands of Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night.

Liam Rosenior’s men came into the match with 48 points, looking to keep pace with the teams in front of them.

However, Beto opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half, before adding a second after the break.

Chelsea barely threatened Everton and looked flat for most of the game, before Iliman Ndiaye added a third.

The result means the Blues cannot match the 70 points that league leaders Arsenal currently have with seven matches left.

Champions Liverpool are also on the verge of being mathematically ruled out, as they have 49 points.

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Super Eagles player bounced me from Iheanacho’s room — Osimhen

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Galatasaray striker, Victor Osimhen, has claimed that a senior member of the Super Eagles squad in 2017 sent him away from a hotel room during his first call-up to the national team.

According to the 27-year-old, it was Kelechi Iheanacho who intervened and welcomed him inside.

Osimhen revealed this while appearing on a Twitch livestream with comedian, Carter Efe in the early hours of Saturday.

He said: “When I came, I met Iheanacho. And I told him, ‘ah, see me, I’m gonna carry your boots.’ So he said I should come to his room so, he gave me his room number.

“So, as I got to his room — I don’t just want to mention the name — he had a roommate. So, as I knocked on the door, the roommate opened the door. So, he like bounced me out of the room.”

Osimhen refused to reveal the identity of the player who sent him away.

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AFCON 2025; Drama as Senegal Reportedly Relocates Trophy To Military Base After CAF Decision (Video)

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Drama as Senegal reportedly relocates AFCON trophy to military base after Confederation of African Football (CAF) viral decision.

‎It would be recalled that CAF stripped Senegal of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, awarding it to Morocco instead.

This decision came after Morocco appealed the result of the January 18 final, where Senegal won 1-0 in extra time.

‎ According to the CAF Appeal Board, Senegal had forfeited the match due to their players walking off the pitch in protest of a penalty awarded to Morocco, citing Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations.

The controversy surrounds the AFCON final, where Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest of a late penalty awarded to Morocco.

In a clip circulating on the microblogging platform, X (formerly Twitter), a young man with glasses is seen holding the AFCON trophy surrounded by military personnel.

The clip captures the military personnel’s excitement as they support the trophy, with an officer recording the moment.

In a recent development, Senegal has announced plans to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with some officials and players expressing outrage and disappointment.

The Senegalese government has also called for an international investigation into suspected corruption within CAF.

Watch video below……

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