Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has revealed who he believes will win the next Ballon d’Or.
Former Brentford manager Frank made the bold prediction after watching his side lose an eight-goal thriller at the hand of Paris Saint-Germain.
Spurs took a first-half lead at the Parc Des Princes through Richarlison. They led again when Randal Kolo Muani scored against his parent club after a Paris Saint-German equaliser.
But despite a second Muani goal late on, it was PSG who raced clear to win 5-3 and move up to second in the Champions League standings.
Tottenham now find themselves 16th, precariously close to the elimination places.
Thomas Frank was pleased with his side’s response after their 4-1 North London Derby defeat by Arsenal at the weekend, though.
“It was the reaction I wanted from the players and the team,” he said.
“We’ve been working very hard on that – the players, the staff, the team to make sure that we responded well and bounced back because that’s crucial after a bad performance.
” I saw more identity of the team I want to create. Much more character, personality, aggressiveness.”
But while there were encouraging signs, with Tottenham fans encouraged by the team’s display, Frank had to admit his side were outplayed by some of PSG’s top stars.
And one player in particular earned the highest of praise, with the Spurs boss declaring Vitinha to be the next Ballon d’Or winner.
Thomas Frank Says Vitinha Will Win Next Ballon d’Or
Despite his side’s promising display, they were undone by a midfield masterclass from Vitinha.
The Portuguese star scored a hat-trick as he helped his side dismantle Spurs in the second half.
And Frank had to admit there was little his side could do to stop him.
“Vitinha putting it not top corner, but top, top, top corner!
“We played against a decent team. They have one Ballon d’Or winner [Ousmane Dembele], and I think the next one is playing in midfield.
“Vitinha, wow! What a player.
“Vitinha is the best midfielder in the world. He will be the next Ballon d’Or winner.
🚨🏅 Vitinha: “I’m not at my best yet. The best is yet to come”.
“I need to mantain my level, keep going and improve again”. pic.twitter.com/lV7dEPgvTJ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 26, 2025
Vitinha is 16/1 in the Ballon d’Or 2026 winner odds market, with Kylian Mbappe the favourite as it stands.
But it is hard to argue with Thomas Frank when Vitinha is putting in performances like that.
When Is The Ballon d’Or Awarded?
Awarded every year to the best footballer in the world the Ballon d’Or has been around in various forms since 1956.
Originally given for the best performance over a calendar year, it has now moved to be awarded based on the previous season.
As a result, the award is presented in September, with Vitinha’s PSG teammate Ousmane Dembele scooping this year’s Ballon d’Or on 22 September at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Ballon d’Or Winners (Last 10 Years)
- 2025 – Ousmane Dembele
- 2024 – Rodri
- 2023 – Lionel Messi
- 2022 – Karim Benzema
- 2021 – Lionel Messi
- 2020 – None (COVID-19)
- 2019 – Lionel Messi
- 2018 – Luka Modric
- 2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo
- 2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo
