New experience at Kruger United: Ebrahim Seedat ready to try Motsepe Foundation!
After a disappointing spell with Cape Town Spurs, 32-year-old Ebrahim Seedat is gearing up for a new challenge in the Motsepe Foundation Championship with Kruger United.
In a strategic move to bolster their backline, Kruger Park United have officially welcomed veteran defender [Player Name] to their ranks. The club announced the acquisition on Tuesday, September 23rd, generating a wave of optimism among their supporters.
The signing is a clear statement of intent to bring stability and wisdom to the team’s defence. [Player Name] arrives with a wealth of experience spanning both the Betway Premiership and the Motsepe Foundation Championship. His career journey, which includes spells at established clubs like Bidvest Wits, Cape Town City FC, and TS Galaxy, has equipped him with the kind of seasoned insight that Kruger’s management believes will be invaluable for the challenges of the season ahead.
This move not only strengthens the squad but also adds a layer of tactical maturity drawn from a well-traveled career in South African football.
With the memory of a near-miss still fresh, Kruger Park United has signaled its renewed ambition for the 2025/26 season by welcoming seasoned defender Seedat Ebrahim to their ranks. The club, affectionately known as “The Village Boys,” announced the signing with palpable excitement, expressing their belief that Ebrahim’s proven experience will be the key to solidifying a defence that fell just short last campaign.
The acquisition comes at a pivotal moment. The previous season ended in heartbreak for Kruger, as they missed out on a promotional playoff spot on the final day, ultimately finishing fifth. Now, with the new season underway and the team sitting in eighth place after a mixed start, the signing of Ebrahim is seen as a strategic move to inject stability and leadership.
In an official statement brimming with optimism, the club welcomed their new player, highlighting the “huge boost” his skill and experience will bring to the backline. For the supporters, this move is more than just a new face; it’s a statement of intent. They are hoping that Ebrahim’s presence will be the catalyst that transforms a team of potential into genuine title contenders, ensuring that this season’s story has a different, more triumphant ending.
It’s considered one of the bestSaturday Night Live skits in the 50-year history of the show, and with good reason: It’s hilarious.
We’re talking about “Washington’s Dream” starring Nate Bargatze, and it aired in season 49. They brought the concept back last year, and of course Bargatze did it again at the Emmys last week, and … well, the first crack is the best. Without question.
But we here at Casino Reports realized something: The only thing more confusing that our system of weights and measures is our collection of laws concerning gambling.
So with that in mind, we bring you: “Washington’s Dream: Gambling Edition.” Take it away, Nate …
[Scene: Revolutionary War camp. Troops huddle around a fire. Washington (Nate Bargatze) steps forward, solemn, hands clasped behind his back. The troops fall silent.]
Washington (serious, slow): Remember what we fight for, and why. My dream is not only independence, gentlemen. My dream … is gambling.
Troop #1 (squints): Gambling, sir?
Washington (nodding gravely): Yes. And it shall make perfect sense. In some states, gambling shall be a felony punishable by prison. In the state next door … it shall be a tourist attraction with dancing girls and free cocktails.
Troop #2 (confused): Wait, which is it?
Washington (calmly): Both. Simultaneously.
Washington: Also, a man shall be allowed to wager his children’s college fund on his cell phone … but if that signal crosses an invisible line drawn by a potentially drunk land surveyor in 1823? No more wagering.
Troop #3: How will they know where the line is?
Washington (beat): Nobody knows.
Washington: And sportsbooks? Sportsbooks shall promote a wager that sparkles like the Holy Grail. They shall call it … the same-game parlay.
Troop #1 (leaning forward): Does it work?
Washington (long pause): Never. Not once in human history.
Troop #2: Then why —
Washington (interrupting): Because it has seven legs and pays 847-to-1.
Washington: And ho! A man may bet not only on who wins the Super Bowl … but also on the exact color of the sports drink ceremonially dumped upon the victorious coach.
Troop #2 (in disbelief): They’ll take bets on sports drinks?
Washington (gravely): Orange will be 3-to-1. Purple, 12-to-1. And it will always, always be blue.
Troop #1: What about yellow?
Washington (shaking head slowly): Yellow is for quitters, son.
Washington: And some states shall permit wagers on college teams … but never on the local college team. For that team is sacred.
Troop #3: Sir … that makes no sense. None whatsoever.
Washington (deadly serious): You asked about lotteries? The lottery shall confiscate fifty cents of every dollar … and be praised as a charitable donation to children’s education.
Troop #2: That’s robbery!
Washington: No, my boy. That’s hope. Hope with worse odds than being struck by lightning while being eaten by a shark while hitting a same-game parlay.
Washington: And in seven blessed states, citizens shall play blackjack on their telephones while sitting on the toilet during their grandmother’s funeral. In the other 43, they must drive 14 hours through a blizzard to a casino that smells like Newport Lights and whatever Jamie Lee Curtis’ character smelled like in The Last Showgirl.
Troop #1: Who?
Washington (ignoring him): A man may wager thousands of dollars with the press of a button … but to withdraw $10? He must submit a notarized birth certificate, a driver’s license photo, and a blood sample. And tell a complete stranger the maiden name of his grandmother’s dog.
Troop #3: His grandmother’s dog?
Washington: Security is paramount. Always, always paramount.
Washington (pacing now): All winnings must be reported to the tax collector in excruciating detail. But losses? Losses vanish into the ether. Always, always into the ether … unless the gambler keeps a diary more detailed than the chronicles of our revolution.
Troop #2: That’s insane bookkeeping.
Washington: Insanity will be proven to be the foundation of good governance.
Washington: And slot machines! If a man wins $1,200 on a slot machine, he must immediately inform the tax collectors.
Troop #1: Why $1,200?
Washington (shrugs): Nobody knows.
Washington (voice rising): And if a man becomes too successful — if he wins too often — the house shall secretly ban him for the crime of rudeness.
Troop #1: Rudeness?!
Washington: Yes. The ultimate rudeness … of not losing.
Troop #3: What if he promises to lose more?
Washington: Too late. He has revealed his true character.
Washington (conspiratorial): Daily fantasy operators shall invent elaborate parlays, call them fantasy sports, and dare the authorities to understand the difference.
Troop #3 (laughing): They’ll get away with that?
Washington (matter-of-factly): For exactly seven years. Then they’ll rebrand as “peer-to-peer.”
Washington: Sweepstakes casinos shall call their gambling chips “sweeps coins” … and regulators shall nod thoughtfully, pretending this changes everything.
Troop #2: They’ll believe that?
Washington (beat): They’ll pretend to believe it. For a while.
Washington: And men shall desperately crave to wager on everything — wars, elections, whether celebrities are secretly lizard people, the exact moment civilization collapses. They shall be permitted to do so, but they will not call it gambling.
Troop #1: What will they call it instead?
Washington: Investing in probabilistic outcome derivatives for informational market efficiency optimization solutions.
Troop #2: What?
Washington: You know. Purchasing prediction contracts for informational price discovery.
Troop #2 (brain melting): What in God’s name does that mean?
Washington: It means absolutely nothing, which makes it completely legal, totally legitimate, and morally superior to regular gambling.
Washington (dramatic): Every sporting event shall be interrupted by 10,000 advertisements for gambling establishments … each ending with the same solemn warning: If you have a gambling problem, call this number.
Troop #3 (raising hand): But sir … don’t those very ads create the gambling problems?
Washington (long, meaningful pause): You asked about parlays, son?
Monken’s lack of trust in Henry is starting to have it’s counter effect.
The Detroit Lions did exactly what Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken refuses to do in their 38-30 win on Monday Night. That is, commit to running the football out of generic single-back and I-formation concepts directly through the A-gap of the defense.
Even with the Ravens defense tallying in four tackles for loss, and the Lions starting drives inside their own 5-yard line, Lions offensive coordinator John Horton still committed to force-feeding the strength of his team; the two-headed monster that is in his backfield. Both Lions’ running backs, David Montgomery and Jamhyr Gibbs, combined for 34 carries totaling 218 rushing yards on Monday night, while Ravens running back Derrick Henry had just 12 carries.
Monken loves to abandon the run, and while pass-game lovers will fixate on Henry’s three fumbles this season, they are ignoring the psychological factors that are affecting Henry week in and week out. After Henry gashed the Lions for a 28-yard touchdown in the first quarter, it seemed that Monken would continue giving Henry the ball on similar play concepts. Instead, Monken slowly reverted the offense to shotgun sets, giving Henry the ball in pitch concepts and sweep concepts that have proven ineffective.
Henry currently ranks No. 4 in the NFL in rushing yards. Yet somehow, Henry is tied at No. 20 in the NFL in rush attempts. Needless to say, there is no reason 15 running backs have more rush attempts than Henry this season. Well, if you need any explanation, Monken will have one.
Monken may take pride in the fact that the Ravens lead the NFL in points per game. Still, as far as explaining how the team rank No. 30 in time of possession, No. 30 in sacks allowed, and has started the 2025 season 1-2 he won’t. He won’t take responsibility. Monken is often over-credited for the innate talent on his roster. While he can scheme up some pretty clever plays, he lacks the insight needed to sustain offensive drives.
Ultimately, until Monken becomes patient enough to stick with the ground attack, the Ravens will continue to have trouble defeating the elite teams, and Henry will continue to have cold feet.
WORTHINGTON — The Minnesota West football team bounced back in a big way last week.
After a game littered with mistakes and turnovers, the Bluejays turned things around on Saturday against Minnesota North College-Mesabi Range in a dominant 46-14 win.
With the Bluejays (2-2, 2-1 Minnesota College Athletic Conference) back on track, they now look ahead to their first road matchup in three weeks this Saturday at Central Lakes College-Brainerd. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
“It’s always one game at a time,” said second-year Bluejay coach Jermaine Smith after the Mesabi Range game. “Last week we learned and this week, we were really just trying to recover and rebound from the way we played, minimize turnovers and play better defense, really stopping the run. I think that was really critical for us this week to focus on stopping the run, and I think we did a decent job with that.”
Here is everything you need to to know about this Saturday’s upcoming matchup.
The Raiders are still in search of their first win of the season. They are 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the MCAC.
Led by second-year coach Toby Thurman, they opened the season with back-to-back shutout losses by a combined score of 126-0, starting with a 49-0 loss to Ellsworth Community College and followed up by a 77-0 drubbing to Iowa Central.
Central Lakes nearly eked out a win two weeks ago at home against M State Fergus Falls, only to succumb to the Spartans 11-9 in overtime. Last week, the Raiders lost on the road 20-6 to Rochester.
Offensively, the Raiders are second to last in the MCAC in points per game at just 2.8 and are last in the conference in yards per game at only 24.8.
Meanwhile on defense, Central Lakes is also second to last in points given up, allowing opponents an average of 39.3 points per game. Total defense is second to last above only Vermilion CC with over 350 yards allowed per contest.
Perhaps the Raiders’ toughest test in the MCAC is coming to Brainerd on Saturday against a Bluejays team that is near the top of the conference on both sides of the ball.
The Bluejays moved the ball at will against Mesabi Range last week as they amassed 482 yards of total offense and scored seven touchdowns.
The no-huddle Minnesota West offense scored quickly and opened a 14-7 lead in the first quarter after quarterback Armon Vinson found receivers Talik Brooks and Marlon Fluker for touchdowns.
Minnesota West began pulling away in the second quarter with 18 unanswered points to take a 32-7 halftime lead.
“So many weapons with the receiving core,” Smith said of his offense. “It’s loaded. We’re probably about eight, nine receivers deep, and there’s really no drop off there. Quarterback play was a lot better (Saturday) and you can’t win unless you block up front. So I think we did a great job up front to be able to execute and get those seven touchdowns.”
Minnesota West quarterback Armon Vinson rolls out and escapes a sack against Minnesota North College-Mesabi Range on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 at Trojan Field in Worthington.
Skyler Jackson / The Globe
Vinson started the quarter off with a 60-yard scoring strike to Ethan Pridgen. The final two touchdowns on the hall both came on Vinson rollouts before finding AJ Hollman wide open in the end zone twice.
With the game pretty much at hand, the Bluejays only extended their lead with two more Vinson touchdown passes in the third quarter both to Tavion Jackson. Mesabi Range finally found the end zone again with 10:38 left in the fourth quarter, but the Jays were already comfortably ahead.
Vinson finished with 426 passing yards on 21-of-29. He did throw four interceptions, but the Bluejay defense never let the Norse capitalize on them. Hollman was the leading receiver with 91 yards on five catches. Jackson caught three balls for 89 and Pridgen also had three catches for 76 yards.
Minnesota West wide receiver Marlon Fluker stiff arms Mesabi Range defender Curtis West III on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 at Trojan Field in Worthington.
Skyler Jackson / The Globe
Most of Minnesota West’s yards came through the air as the rushing attack only garnered 56 yards. Dontrell Harris carried the ball 12 times for 44 yards.
After giving up over 300 rushing yards to NDSCS two weeks ago, the Minnesota West defense held Mesabi Range to under 300 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers last week.
“I thought we tackled well and we played better up front,” Smith said. “I really keyed in on the front seven this week to really play with better pride and really try to create a new line of scrimmage and put the pressure on them to throw the football.”
Minnesota West defenders Darron Millender (11) and Kaleb Holt-Jones combine to make a tackle against Minnesota North College-Mesabi Range on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 at Trojan Field in Worthington.
Skyler Jackson / The Globe
Donte Moore intercepted a pass and Kaleb Holt-Jones and Tyler Gibbons each recovered a fumble.
Stephen Tolliver totaled a team-leading 14 tackles and Darron Millender added 11, including three sacks. Kevontae Vignaude totaled nine tackles and two sacks. Dorius Bell had three tackles for loss.
Overall this season, the Bluejays are second in the conference in both scoring offense (34.3 points) and defense (22.3) behind only NDSCS and are atop the MCAC in total offense (464.8 yards). They are the No. 4 team in the NJCAA Division III rankings and are one of three Region 13 teams in the top five with the other two being NDSCS and Rochester.
Minnesota West strong safety Jeremiah Robinson (24) tips a pass against Minnesota North College-Mesabi Range on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 at Trojan Field in Worthington.
Skyler Jackson / The Globe
Minnesota West and Rochester will face each other next Saturday, Oct. 4 back in Worthington in what could likely be a big game at the top of the region. But Smith is focused on one game at a time.
“If I look back at last year, we had some seasoned guys when it came to mental preparation and really just standing on business and being leaders,” Smith said. “I think this group is learning that. So they had a couple of meetings this week, team meetings outside of coaches, and I think it made a difference. I think they want to win. They want to do the right things, but it’s just a learning process so I think it’s just week by week.”
Bluejays (2-2) at Raiders (0-4) When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Raider football field, Brainerd, MN Series: MWCTC leads 4-2 dating back to 2018 Last meeting: MWCTC won 58-9 last year in Worthington Last week: MWCTC won 46-14 vs Mesabi; Brainerd lost 20-6 to RCTC
Skyler Jackson joined the Globe in July 2023 as a reporter covering both news and sports. Born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa, Skyler attended South Dakota State University and graduated in 2023 with a degree in journalism. After graduating college, he decided on settling in Worthington for his current job at the Globe.
Inter Milan marquee summer signing Petar Sucic has quickly leapfrogged long-serving midfielder Davide Frattesi in the pecking order.
According to Corriere dello Sport via FCInterNews, the 21-year-old has already become a key component of Cristian Chivu’s midfield plans.
Despite only recently joining the club, Petar Sucic is already making waves in Serie A.
Indeed, the prodigious playmaker has made two assists in his first four matches in Italy’s top flight.
Therefore, he has overtaken several more experienced clubmates in the hierarchy.
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 10: Davide Frattesi of FC Internazionale looks on before the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 10, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
With Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella having guaranteed starting berths, there’s one more slot in the midfield.
Though Henrikh Mkhitaryan often occupied that position last term, the situation has changed upon Sucic’s arrival.
Indeed, the youngster has taken the Armenian’s place at the start of Chivu’s regime.
Meanwhile, Frattesi continues to struggle.
Despite Chivu’s pre-season promise, he remains a marginal figure at San Siro.
As a result, there’s a chance for the former Sassuolo star to leave the club at the end of the season.
On paper, Derrick Henry had himself a fine night by averaging 4.2 yards per carry and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions on Monday.
But it was all marred by yet another fumble, his third in as many games, and this one was in the fourth quarter. Henry would later tell reporters “I’m going to keep working to get it fixed.”
Hopefully, that’ll apply to his reaction on the bench, too. ESPN cameras caught him slamming his helmet down… and slipping to fall right into the bench. It was a crash in the middle of a crash-out. So of course social media had jokes about the running back:
The New York Giants had an offensive performance they’d like to forget on Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs. The team would drop to 0-3 while scoring single digits for the second time this season.
This performance came following an offensive explosion where the Giants would put up 37 points and over 500 yards of total offense in Week 2.
One of the more glaring issues against the Chiefs in Week 3 was the Giants’ inability to get the ball to Malik Nabers. He was held to just two catches for 13 yards on a total of seven targets. The Chiefs’ defense, led by former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, was able to completely shut down the superstar receiver.
ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback, Dan Orlovsky, offered up some criticism for the Giants’ usage of Nabers after Sunday night.
Nabers is a dynamic receiver and can do damage getting yards after the catch, and even the announcers on NBC’s broadcast pointed out the Giants’ need to get creative to get the ball in Nabers’ hands.
Orlovsky doubled down in his criticism of the team, later highlighting Russell Wilson’s overall lack of success when targeting Nabers this season (just 50 percent).
Russell Wilson is 16-32 targeting Malik Nabers this season.
Of course, Wilson and Nabers were coming off a historic performance where the two hooked up to pick apart the Dallas Cowboys’ defense in Week 2. The duo put together a great offensive output that the Giants hoped would continue for weeks to come.
However, as many have pointed out, the Giants’ offensive performance may have been more about the Cowboys’ poor defense than it was the Giants’ offense.
The Cowboys zone defense is about as bad as I have ever seen on tape
As the Giants head into Week 4, there is some thought that there may be a change at the quarterback position. Regardless of who the quarterback is for Week 4 and beyond, the coaching staff will need to find ways to get the ball in the hands of their star receiver.
With Ohio State off over the weekend, there was nothing for Buckeye fans to do but check out the other games around the country. Whether it was watching Clemson lose again, checking in on Michigan at Nebraska, or staying up late to see if Sparty could take down the men of Troy, there was plenty to watch on Saturday.
We start this week’s show with a look at the latest Ohio State players to lose their black helmet stripes over the last couple of weeks, becoming “official” members of the team. We also discussed Ross Bjork’s efforts to get Ohio State’s vacated wins from 2010 reinstated.
If the NCAA suddenly doesn’t think it’s fair to punish players for the actions of their coaches, there should be no issue overturning those vacated wins, as Jim Tressel lying to the NCAA was the most serious offense of the bunch. The players themselves wouldn’t have had to trade/sell their own belongings to get tattoos in the era of NIL, so it sucks for them that they parted with keepsakes they might regret getting rid of with the benefit of hindsight.
After touching on the recent Ohio State news, we took our weekly lap around the B1G to see how other teams made out in Week 4. Nebraska turned down some early points and it came back to bite the Huskers. Washington, Oregon, and Indiana look formidable, while Illinois and Wisconsin came out of Saturday not looking so hot.
We also looked ahead to the matchups this weekend, although many teams around the conference are having their bye weeks. The Oregon-Penn State game and Ohio State at Washington are the marquee matchups on Saturday, so get your snacks ready.
Finally, we previewed the Buckeyes’ trip to the Pacific Northwest to take on Washington at Husky Stadium. There are few environments in college football as hostile for visitors, and it will be Julian Sayin’s first road start. We’re eager to see if the young signal caller continues to play calmly and throw accurately in the face of adversity.
We also made our picks to click, selecting the players we think will shine for Ohio State on Saturday, and made our predictions on what the final score will be when the game concludes.
We would love to hear from you, so please reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or send us an email. Any questions directed toward us will be answered on our next show.
Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, share, and follow the show over on Twitter at @SilvrBulletsPod.
As always, thanks for listening!
0:20 – More Ohio State players lost their black stripes from their helmets, the Buckeyes could get their Sugar Bowl win over Arkansas back, and we tour the Big Ten’s other games to see who came out on top.
31:05 – The Washington Huskies present a difficult challenge on Saturday, and they’ll have perhaps the best offense the Buckeyes will face all season. We preview the matchup.
The Magpies host the Bantams, who currently occupy top spot in League One, at St. James’ Park (kick-off 7:45pm BST) and head into the cup contest as holders after a historic 2-1 win against Liverpool in last season’s final at Wembley Stadium.
After ending the club’s 70-year wait for a domestic trophy last term, Howe is hopeful of replicating another memorable passage in the competition and admitted he could reshuffle his pack once more after making seven changes during last weekend’s Premier League stalemate against AFC Bournemouth.
Here are some of the Magpies boss’ main talking points from Tuesday morning’s pre-match media briefing at the Newcastle United Media Centre…
“There’ll be an element of rotation again. The guys that have played three games last week we might look to give them a rest.
“We want to pick a strong team and we want to try and progress so I have to get the balance right. You don’t want players to lose rhythm – that’s really important.”
“The experiences we’ve been through in the competition, not just last year but two seasons ago, were memorable to say the least. They’re some of my strongest memories.
“The whole experience of the competition is a great one and because you go into it early in the season, it has a freshness to it. We’re up against tough opponents. They’re doing very well in their league, are on a strong winning run and have beaten two Championship teams [Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City] to get to this point.”
On entering the competition as cup holders:
“It’s got a nice feel about it. It’s something we acknowledge and we want to respect that by trying to do our best to go on another good run.
“As we found last year, the early rounds are very difficult. We played Wimbledon, a 1-0 win, and it was a tough game. It was the same two years ago when we squeezed through against Tranmere and we fully respect every opponent.
“You just try to find a way through and we’ll be trying to do.”
“It’s up to everybody to chip in with goals. Historically, we’ve done that really well. Our defenders have been regular goalscorers, either from set plays or open play. We’re looking at sources of goals from everywhere and we can’t be reliant on any one department.
“The creativity of the team in the midfield and the wide areas has been really strong for us and our full-backs have been some of our best attackers in recent seasons and that has to be the case again.”
“I thought overall he had a decent game. Some of his link play in the build-up was really good. He was a focal point that we needed and enabled us to get higher up the pitch.
“As a team, we didn’t function particularly well in the attacking half. There’s no denying that, we weren’t creating chances for him.“As a centre-forward, you are reliant on that service and we didn’t provide him with enough. We have to take responsibility for that and try to work to put that right but I see no reason why we won’t score goals.”
On Yoane Wissa, with the DR Congo international currently sidelined with a knee injury:
“He’s receiving treatment and no operation is needed. I think we’re looking at the other side of the international break. We hope he can be fit and available for that first game.”
So now we fully transition from the Lionel Messi–Cristiano Ronaldo era to the modern equivalent of Florian Albert or Allan Simonsen.
That isn’t to be disrespectful to two genuine greats, or to the 47th player to win the Ballon d’Or, Ousmane Dembele. He, like his predecessors, at least has a good argument to claim the award.
It’s just that, as was the case way back then, it doesn’t feel like one of those victories that is going to be overly celebrated from the vantage point of the future. There’s an element of trying to force present performances to fit something grander, to amplify them into something that meets the bar.
Aitana Bonmati and Ousmane Dembele won the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards (AFP via Getty)
So, in the absence of a major men’s tournament, or a player who was truly dominant at the elite level, Dembele was the next man along. The 28-year-old was Paris Saint-Germain’s joint top scorer in the Champions League knockout stages, scoring four goals.
Two of those were genuinely big goals against Liverpool and Arsenal, but the other two were against Brest, where PSG only showcased how they spend most of their year: enjoying their vast economic advantage to pummel French opposition in games that are barely contests.
All of that starts to feel a little thin when you consider the list of players in this millennium alone who have not won the award: Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Thierry Henry, Paolo Maldini, and – so far – Robert Lewandowski, Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland.
Part of this is just the luck of a given year, and who you happen to be up against. Alongside that, though, is the ongoing tension around what the award actually represents: whether it’s about being the most valuable player, or a genuine bid to crown the best – the most talented – footballer in the world.
Of course, “most talented” is somewhat dependent on the application of that talent… which is why the award feels like it should be some subjective combination of the two.
Dembele scored 35 goals and made 14 assists in all competitions for PSG last season (AFP via Getty)
This is what Messi and Ronaldo showcased for so long, which has probably warped perspectives to a certain degree. They were performing at this astonishing level, and directly delivering the biggest trophies along the way.
Even if you take the now accepted wisdom that Messi was the greater player, and perhaps the best of all time, Ronaldo still had an obvious claim to every victory. Four of his five wins accompanied Champions Leagues. Otherwise worthy winners such as Xavi, Iniesta, Lewandowski and Haaland were simply unlucky to be competing against them in the middle of very long prime periods.
On the other side, though, Dembele is perhaps lucky that he was up against a player who is perhaps seen as being on the cusp of his prime. Lamine Yamal would have been a much more fitting winner of the trophy. He’s clearly already the best player in the world. He performs at a higher level than anyone else, doing things that other players couldn’t have conceived of. He’s also doing them in the biggest games.
Lamine Yamal, who won the Kopa Trophy, would have been the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in history (AP)
It’s not Yamal’s fault that Barcelona failed to beat Inter in that sensational Champions League semi-final. He was the player who did the most to try to avoid that.
All of this similarly applies to Aitana Bonmati, who rightly won the women’s award ahead of Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo, one of five England players who finished in the top 10 but ultimately fell short.
Bonmati is clearly the best player in the world. She performs at a higher level than anyone else, doing things that other players couldn’t have conceived of. She’s also doing them in the biggest games.
It’s not Aitana’s fault that Barcelona failed to beat Arsenal and Spain failed to beat England in the finals she played in. She was most responsible for delivering her teams there. But while Aitana was already a two-time winner – this third award affording her that gold-standard historic achievement – that often means it’s more palatable to vote for a player who doesn’t win the biggest team prizes.
Bonmati won despite Spain and Barcelona losing major finals last season (AFP via Getty)
Did Yamal miss out because he is still so young, and there’s a sense of having to rise to it? He would have been the first teenager to win the award.
And yet even if you just reduce it to a basic binary choice between the two, Yamal performed to a higher level than Dembele and also did more. The only real difference was that Dembele’s team won the final. And there’s even an argument that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was more influential to that.
If it was just down to the glare of the European Cup, it would be oddly fitting for a trophy that has evolved from an old-world gravitas and traditional prestige to something that is more about a glamour and gaudiness.
Even the trophy itself has become much more ostentatious over the years, something that you really notice if you look back at those old photos of Johan Cruyff or George Best lifting their humble little orb.
Duly, the lobbying is said to have been more aggressive than ever this year, and has got more pronounced as the seasons have gone on.
The Messi-Ronaldo era itself influenced this, so it’s another case of modern football eating itself.
None of this is to argue against the existence of an individual world in a team sport in anything like that.
Some players obviously are more decisive, and it’s right – and actually part of the fun of the sport – that that’s recognised.
It’s just that, like a few other years in the competition’s seven decades, it doesn’t necessarily feel like the 2025 Ballon D’Or fully did that.
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