Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, along with Ousmane Dembélé, are effectively competing for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, but for Barcelona goalkeeper Szczesny, another star is more deserving of being named the best footballer in the world this year.
The experienced Polish goalkeeper told reporters, “If someone asked me who was the best this year, I would choose Pedri without hesitation.”
He added, “Pedri has impressed me a lot, perhaps more than any other player I’ve seen in my life. He controls the tempo of the game, both defensively and offensively, and never loses the ball.”
He continued, “Pedri embodies the true joy of football and inspires young people to play this sport.”
He concluded, “There are players who don’t lose the ball but are somewhat reserved. Pedri is a completely different story. He can dribble in any situation and plays from deep. When the ball reaches him, you feel very confident. He’s the best in the world.”
Ousmane Dembélé remains the favorite to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or, having achieved a historic quadruple with Paris Saint-Germain and is close to a fifth title if the French club wins the Club World Cup.
Szczesny has just renewed his contract with Barcelona for two years, acting as backup goalkeeper to new signing Juan Garcia, opening the door to a major crisis with the famous German goalkeeper Ter Stegen.
