At the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France, the winner of the 2025 Ballon d'Or was finally announced. The 28-year-old French star Ousmane Dembélé, with his outstanding performance in helping Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) secure the treble last season, unequivocally won the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
In the 2024-25 season, Dembélé made 53 appearances for PSG, scoring 35 goals and providing 16 assists. He helped the club claim the UEFA Champions League title, Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France title, and Trophée des Champions title, while also guiding PSG to the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The voting period for the 2025 Ballon d'Or ran from August 1, 2024, to July 13, 2025, and Dembélé’s performances during this period were there for all to see. His contributions in the UEFA Champions League were particularly standout: when PSG faced a crisis in the group stage, Dembélé scored a goal against Manchester City to spark a comeback; he netted a hat-trick against VfB Stuttgart to send PSG into the play-off round; he scored twice against Stade Brestois 29 in the Champions League play-offs; in the Round of 16 against Liverpool, he scored the equalizer in the second leg to level the aggregate score; across both legs of the Quarter-finals against Aston Villa, he provided two assists; he scored one goal and delivered one assist in the Semi-finals against Arsenal; and in the final against Inter Milan, he provided two assists. Ultimately, Dembélé was also named the Best Player of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League.
In the 2024-25 season, Dembélé claimed the UEFA Champions League MVP, Ligue 1 MVP, and Ligue 1 Golden Boot, and earned spots in the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1 Team of the Season. He reaped abundant rewards in both team and individual honors.
Dembélé joins Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema as the 6th French player in history to win the Ballon d'Or. He is also the 3rd player to win the Ballon d'Or while playing in Ligue 1, following Jean-Pierre Papin and Lionel Messi. Additionally, Dembélé is the 2nd player born in the 1990s to claim the award, after Rodri (who won it last year). Meanwhile, he is only the 2nd player after Lionel Messi (in 2009 and 2015) to win both the treble and the Ballon d'Or in the same year. Having won the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and Ballon d'Or in his career, Dembélé has also become the 10th player in history to achieve the "Golden Slam" in football.
Dembélé began his professional career at Stade Rennais. In the summer of 2016, he joined Borussia Dortmund for a transfer fee of €35 million. After an impressive season with Dortmund (50 appearances, 10 goals, 21 assists), Dembélé moved to Barcelona in the summer of 2017 for a record-breaking €148 million—a transfer fee that still ranks as the third-highest in football history to this day. During his six seasons at Barcelona, Dembélé was widely criticized for injury issues and attitude problems; in the 2019-20 season, he even only made 9 appearances due to injury. After making 185 appearances, scoring 40 goals, and providing 41 assists for Barcelona, Dembélé joined Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023 for a transfer fee of €50 million.
Last season, within Luis Enrique’s tactical system, Dembélé underwent a transformation in the center-forward position. He returned to his best in a predator-like manner, fulfilled his long-touted talent, and rightfully became the Ballon d'Or winner!
