Lamine Yamal Snubs Ousmane Dembele in His Champions League Best 5 Players
- Lamine Yamal excluded Ousmane Dembele from his top five 2024/25 UEFA Champions League players this season
- Yamal selected three other players from Paris Saint-Germain and two Barcelona teammates in his top pick
- Dembele had a standout season with PSG, registering 8 goals and 6 assists, but was overlooked by the Spanish winger
Lamine Yamal surprised many by leaving out Ousmane Dembele when naming his top five players of the Champions League season.
Dembele played a pivotal role in Paris Saint-Germain’s dominant 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final, securing his first Champions League trophy.
Source: Getty Images
The 27-year-old winger was instrumental throughout the campaign, scoring eight goals and assisting six in 15 matches.
He was also named in UEFA’s Team of the Season and awarded the Player of the Year.
Yamal’s outstanding campaign with Barcelona
17-year-old Yamal also had an impressive run, helping Barcelona reach the semi-finals with five goals and three assists.
His standout performance came in the thrilling 3-3 first leg against Inter Milan, though Barca eventually lost the tie 4-3 on aggregate.
The Spanish winger was included in UEFA’s best XI alongside Dembele, highlighting his breakthrough season.
Yamal’s top five picks without Dembele
In an interview with Spanish radio station COPE, the 17-year-old was asked to name his best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, and striker from the 2024/25 Champions League season.
Yamal chose two midfielders, resulting in a joint selection.
He picked PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma as his top goalkeeper, with teammate and centre-back Willian Pacho as his best defender.
For midfield, Yamal selected PSG’s Vitinha alongside his Barcelona teammate Pedri.
As for the striker, he chose another Barcelona star, Brazilian forward Raphinha.
Raphinha was once considered a strong contender for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, but in recent weeks, he has slipped behind Dembele and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, especially after Barcelona’s failure to reach the Champions League final.
Source: YEN.com.gh
