PARIS Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé has won the 2025 Ballon d’Or, capping a remarkable revival in his career as the French treble winners claimed several top honors at the Paris ceremony.
The 28-year-old France international scored 35 goals and provided 14 assists in 53 matches last season, firing PSG to the Champions League, Ligue 1 title, and French Cup. He also finished as joint top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals, was named both Ligue 1 and Champions League Player of the Year, and helped his side reach the Club World Cup final, where they lost to Chelsea.
Dembélé edged Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, who finished second but collected the Kopa Trophy for best young player. The Frenchman was visibly emotional as he received the award from Ronaldinho, dedicating it to his mother, his teammates, and PSG:
“We have practically won everything together. This individual trophy is one the team has won collectively,” he said.
The award completes a dramatic turnaround for Dembélé, who had not hit double figures in a league campaign since his teenage years at Rennes. PSG manager Luis Enrique, named Coach of the Year, was widely credited for the transformation, having moved Dembélé from the right wing into a central striker role in mid-December. From that point on, he scored 30 goals in all competitions.
PSG, who signed him for just £43.5m from Barcelona in 2023, were crowned Team of the Year as five of their players finished in the top 10: Vitinha (3rd), Achraf Hakimi (6th), Gianluigi Donnarumma (9th), and Nuno Mendes (10th).
Other notable finishes included Mohamed Salah (4th, Liverpool) and Cole Palmer (8th, Chelsea/England). Last year’s winner, Rodri, missed out on the shortlist following an injury-hit season.
Dembélé becomes only the sixth Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or, and just the second in the 21st century after Karim Benzema in 2022.
