Why Zlatan Ibrahimovic would have awarded Ballon d’Or to Lamine Yamal over Ousmane Dembele; plus if he should have won it himself

The Swede was keen to point out the individual nature of the award when entering the debate about whether Spanish sensation Yamal deserved it more than runaway winner Ousmane Dembele of PSG.

“This year, Dembele won the Ballon d’Or because he won the Champions League, I think. He had an extraordinary year,” Ibrahimovic said.

When asked who he would have given it to, he paused for thought.

“First of all, it is an individual trophy,” he added.

“You have to judge who was the best player individually, and who made the biggest difference individually. For me, Yamal did everything individually.

“Even if somebody has won all the collective trophies, this is always an individual award. But you need to win these collective trophies to get there.

“That doesn’t mean (Dembele) didn’t deserve to win it though, because he did and congratulations to him.”

Dembele was instrumental in helping Luis Enrique’s side to an unprecedented treble. PSG claimed the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and ended their long wait for a UEFA Champions League.

The 28-year-old France international was lost for words when he received the award from Ronaldinho after being crowned the winner ahead of Yamal, who had the consolation of a second successive Kopa Trophy for best young player.

Few would bet against Yamal receiving the Ballon d’Or one day, although it is certainly not a given. Many great players have enjoyed stellar careers but have come up short in the battle for the ultimate individual accolade.

Ibrahimovic is one such example. He racked up a vast collection of trophies during a playing career in which he represented some of the biggest clubs in the world including Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale, Barcelona, Milan, PSG and Manchester United.

By the time he hung up his boots, the acrobatic striker had won 12 league titles across four different countries, but the Champions League was one title that eluded him.

Ibrahimovic’s highest finish in the Ballon d’Or was fourth in 2013. He was hindered by competing in the same era as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who dominated the award for the best part of 15 years.

However, he insists he does not regret never claiming the prize, despite believing he deserved it.

“You’re right, it’s strange I didn’t win! Not just one, but I could have won several,” he continued.

“It isn’t a regret, because it’s not like the best player always wins the Ballon d’Or.

“I didn’t win the Champions League, that is not a secret. There was always someone repeating that ‘he didn’t win the Champions League’.

“But they don’t remember that I won more than 90% of those players who won the Champions League.”