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Ousmane Dembélé Is the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or Winner!
PSG forward Ousmane Dembélé, with African roots in Mali and Senegal, has been awarded the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or in Paris.
Photo Credit: Zegna/Instagram
Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé has been awarded the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual prize in football. The 28-year-old France international received the trophy at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Parison Monday, 22 September, in a ceremony presented by France Football.
Dembélé played a key role in PSG’s highly successful 2024/25 season. He scored 35 goals and provided 14 assists in 53 matches, helping the club secure a domestic treble — the Ligue 1 title, the French Cup, and the Champions League. He also contributed in the Club World Cup final, where PSG were defeated by Chelsea.
The forward’s individual performances earned him the Ligue 1 and Champions League Player of the Year awards, and he was the joint top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals. In the Ballon d’Or voting, Dembélé finished ahead of Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal, who came second, and PSG teammate Vitinha, who placed third.
Born and raised in France to a Malian father and a mother of Mauritanian and Senegalese descent, Dembélé was visibly emotional as he accepted the award on stage, joined by his mother for the special moment. He thanked PSG, his teammates, and the staff for their support. “What I have just experienced is exceptional… I have no words for it,” he said.
“I feel a bit of stress; it’s not easy to win this trophy, and to have it presented to me by Ronaldinho, a legend of football, is truly exceptional.”
He added that the award was a recognition not only of his individual performance but also of the team’s achievements over the season.
Other honours presented at the ceremony included the Men’s Kopa Trophy, awarded to Lamine Yamal, the Men’s Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper to Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy for best coach to Luis Enrique, and the Men’s Gerd Müller Trophy to Viktor Gyökeres.
Dembélé’s Ballon d’Or win also highlights his West African roots. While born and raised in France, his father is from Mali, and his mother is of Mauritanian and Senegalese descent.
The 2025 Ballon d’Or completes a notable season for Dembélé and PSG, capping a year that saw the French club dominate both domestic and European competitions.
Men’s Ballon d’Or top ten:
- Ousmane Dembélé (France, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)
- Vitinha (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)
- Raphinha (Brazil, Barcelona)
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Kylian Mbappé (France, Real Madrid)
- Cole Palmer (England, Chelsea)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Nuno Mendes (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain)
OUSMANE DEMBÉLÉ IS THE 2025 MEN’S BALLON D’OR!#ballondor pic.twitter.com/xLSvNVEh51
— Ballon d’Or (@ballondor) September 22, 2025
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