Ballon d'Or: Gerard Pique picks 3 favourites to win award, snubs Dembele

The Ballon d'Or debate has been a hot topic over the past few weeks, with fans split between Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and PSG's Ousmane Dembele.

The consensus has changed almost weekly, with Dembele's Champions League win giving him the edge over Yamal until the latter profoundly dispatched France in the UEFA Nations League.

Players and ex-pros have chimed in, delivering their verdict on the destination of the next Ballon d'Or.

Ex-Barca man Gerard Piqué was asked by DAZN Football to rank his top six contenders for the Ballon d'Or, from least favourite to potential winner.

Piqué ranked Dembele sixth, Kylian Mbappé fifth, and PSG midfielder Vitinha came next in fourth place.

The top three spots were reserved for Barcelona players as the ex-Blaugrana captain picked Raphinha in third, Pedri, second and Yamal as the winner of the award.

Yamal was the overwhelming favourite in the weeks leading up to the Champions League final, but Barcelona's exit may have cost him the chance to be the youngest award winner in history.

The 17-year-old still had an outstanding season, and will no doubt be in contention for many awards in the future.