PSG star Ousmane Dembele claims prestigious prize at Paris ceremony
Ousmane Dembele has been crowned as winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or at a ceremony in Paris.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward had long since been considered the favourite for the most prestigious individual award in football, having inspired PSG to an unprecedented treble last season.
Dembele was able to attend the ceremony due to a hamstring injury that kept him out of PSG’s clash with arch rivals Marseille, which was put back by a day because of a storm warning.
A host of PSG’s other nominees were not able to attend the ceremony because of the rescheduling, but Desire Doue and Joao Neves were in attendance as they recover from their own injuries, allowing them to celebrate with their team-mate.
Barcelona pair Lamine Yamal and Raphinha finished second and third in the voting following their pivotal roles in Barcelona’s success in LaLiga and the Copa del Rey last season.
Dembele’s deserved Ballon d’Or triumph
There can be no denying that Dembele deserves the accolade given the instrumental role he played in a history-making season for PSG.
Dembele had 27 goal involvements in Ligue 1 last campaign scoring 21 goals and assisting six for his team-mates. He scored three times in the Coupe de France as PSG retained that title, also providing an assist. However, it was his performances in the Champions League that were critical in securing him the Ballon d’Or.
Indeed, Dembele found the net eight times in Europe’s premier club competition in 2024-25, including the levelling goal in the tie against Liverpool in the last 16 and the only goal in the first leg of the semi-final against Arsenal.
With six assists to his name in the competition, Dembele finished the 2024-25 Champions League with 14 goal involvements, a tally bettered only by Raphinha (21) and Serhou Guirassy (17).
Dembele was overshadowed by Doue’s superb hat-trick in the 5-0 rout against Inter Milan in the final, though his two assists reflected his hugely impressive consistency as a positive influence for the best team in European football.
