Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain has been awarded the Ballon d’Or, recognizing him as the best player in the world for the first time.
The 28-year-old forward from France netted 35 goals and provided 14 assists in 53 appearances for PSG last season, contributing to their treble victory, which included their inaugural Champions League title.
He shared the title of top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals and was honored as the player of the year in both the French top division and the Champions League.
Additionally, he played a crucial role in leading PSG to the Club World Cup final, where they were defeated by Chelsea in New Jersey.
Dembele, who triumphed over Barcelona’s young talent Lamine Yamal for the accolade, attended the ceremony in Paris and was visibly emotional as he accepted the award, despite his team’s match taking place on the same evening.
Currently, he is recovering from an injury, which caused him to miss PSG’s 1-0 home loss to Marseille, a match that was rescheduled due to inclement weather.
This achievement marks a remarkable resurgence in his career, as he had not reached double figures in league goals since his teenage years at Rennes.
Luis Enrique, the PSG manager who was also recognized as coach of the year, played a significant role in Dembele’s success through a tactical adjustment made in mid-December.
He transitioned Dembele from a right-wing position to a center-forward role during a match against Lyon on December 15, at which point Dembele had only scored five goals.
Following this change, he scored 30 goals for PSG.
Dembele has finally demonstrated the talent that led Barcelona to invest an initial £96.8 million, potentially increasing to £135.5 million, to acquire him from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.
In contrast, PSG, who excelled at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony, secured him for a mere £43.5 million in 2023, making it a remarkable deal.
He also contributed two goals in seven appearances for France during the 2024-25 season.
Dembele is the sixth French player to receive this honor and only the second in the 21st century, following Karim Benzema’s win in 2022.
Lamine Yamal, aged 18, secured second place and was awarded the Kopa Trophy for the best young player.
Vitinha, a midfielder for PSG and Portugal, finished in third place, while Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was fourth.
Chelsea and England’s Cole Palmer secured the eighth position.
The previous year’s champion, Manchester City, and Spain midfielder Rodri were not included in the shortlist this time due to a season plagued by injuries.
Gyokeres claims the top scorer award.
Arsenal forward Viktor Gyokeres has been awarded the Gerd Müller Trophy, which recognizes the leading goal scorer in European football for both club and country during the 2024-25 season.
The 27-year-old netted 54 goals in 52 matches for the Portuguese club Sporting last season, in addition to scoring nine goals in six Nations League appearances for Sweden.
He transferred to Arsenal in a deal valued at up to £64 million during the summer.
The specific criteria for this award remain undisclosed, leading to uncertainty regarding the winner prior to the ceremony, despite it being based on factual data.
Last season’s award was jointly awarded to Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe (noting his time at PSG), with each scoring 52 goals.
The previous recipients of this award, which was established in 2021, include Robert Lewandowski, who won it twice, and Erling Haaland.
Lamine Yamal secures his second Kopa Trophy.
Lamine Yamal might have felt disheartened for not winning the Ballon d’Or, especially with rumors circulating just hours before the event suggesting he had won it.
However, the Barcelona talent did receive the Kopa Trophy for the best player under 21 for the second consecutive year.
The teenager is the first individual to win this award twice, although it was only introduced in 2018.
He played a crucial role in helping Spain achieve a domestic double last season, winning both La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
The winger scored 18 goals, including strikes in three different Clasicos, and provided 21 assists across 55 matches.
Additionally, he contributed to Spain’s journey to the Nations League final, where they were defeated on penalties by Portugal, following his two goals in a thrilling 5-4 semi-final victory over Dembele’s France.
