Paris Saint-Germain’s wait for European glory has finally been rewarded with individual recognition for their star man.
Ousmane Dembélé, once labelled injury-prone and inconsistent, now stands at the summit of world football after clinching the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
The 28-year-old French winger was officially named the world’s best player at a glittering ceremony in Paris on Monday night, beating Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal and Liverpool duo Raphinha and Mohamed Salah to football’s most prestigious award.
Dembélé’s selection was the culmination of a season that redefined both his career and PSG’s place in football history.
He spearheaded the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League triumph while also leading them to a clean sweep of domestic trophies—Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions.
In total, Dembélé racked up 35 goals and 16 assists, with 21 of those strikes coming in Ligue 1, where he shared the Golden Boot and earned a place in the Team of the Year.
But it was in Europe that his star truly burned brightest scoring decisive goals against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal en route to continental immortality.
For women’s football, Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí continued her dominance by collecting her third Ballon d’Or Féminin, underlining her status as the modern era’s defining player.
The night also saw new heroes rise: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) and Vicky López (Barcelona) took home the Kopa Trophies for best players under 21, Ewa Pajor and Viktor Gyökeres shared the Gerd Müller Award for best strikers, PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and England’s Hannah Hampton were honoured with the Yachine Trophies. On the sidelines, Luis Enrique was named Men’s Coach of the Year after orchestrating PSG’s quadruple, while Sarina Wiegman once again claimed the Women’s Coach of the Year crown.
The Club of the Year accolades capped the night—Paris Saint-Germain for the men and Arsenal for the women—fitting recognition for teams that left an indelible mark on the 2024/25 campaign.
