Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele has been crowned winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual award. The 28-year-old Frenchman received the trophy in Paris on Monday night from Brazilian great Ronaldinho, after a remarkable campaign that saw him inspire PSG to their first-ever Champions League triumph, along with a domestic league and cup double.
Dembele scored 35 goals in all competitions, cementing himself as the talisman of Luis Enrique’s side. He finished ahead of Barcelona’s 18-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal, who came second. Dembele succeeds Spain’s Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.
“I really don’t have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG,” said an emotional Dembele. He praised Enrique, calling him “like a father,” and emphasized the collective effort behind the success: “It is an individual trophy, but really the collective won it.”
Yamal, meanwhile, received the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player — his second straight win since breaking into Barcelona’s first team in 2023.
A 2018 World Cup winner with France, Dembele previously played for Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona before his PSG resurgence. Now, he is celebrated as the man who delivered the Parisian club’s most historic triumph.
