The winner of the Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual honour in football awarded annually by France Football, was Paris Saint-Germain and France striker Ousmane Dembele.
Second place went to young genius Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and the Spanish national team. As consolation and an advance on what is likely to be a brilliant future, Yamal, who turned 18 in July, won the Raymond Kop prize, an award for the best young (under-21) footballer.
Third place in the voting went to the same PSG midfielder, Portuguese Vitinha.
28-year-old Ousmane Dembele last season in addition to already familiar PSG home championships and cup won with the club Champions League and UEFA Super Cup, as well as reached the final of the club World Cup.
He became the sixth Frenchman to gain both the heights prophesied when he moved from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona in 2017, signing a $180 million contract.
Dembele’s transfer was the second most expensive in Barça’s history and the fourth most expensive in football history.
But having travelled a path that has seen many downfalls, the 28-year-old footballer has finally seen a prophecy come true. He won the prize he had long dreamed of.
Thanking his family for their support, Dembele burst into tears during the Ballon d’Or in Paris – his road to triumph was not an easy one.
Dembele’s incredible play in the 2024-25 season helped his Paris Saint-Germain side win the national championship and cup, the Champions League, and reach the final of the Club World Cup.
The forward scored 35 goals and made 14 assists during the season. )Photo by Getty Images
PSG bought Dembele for just €50 million in August 2023. He scored six goals and made 14 assists, helping PSG win the league and cup, scoring a ‘golden double’.
He was far from a major figure, however, as club star Mbappe scored 44 goals in his best of seven seasons for PSG.
However, this turned out to be his last year in Paris, PSG needed a new leader.
And that was Dembele. He played 51 times, more than double his career-best season, and scored 35 goals – 21 more than he had scored previously.
Last summer, coach Luis Enrique told Dembele that without Mbappe, he needed more goals in the team. He effectively gave Ousmane carte blanche to take a more selfish approach – in his career due to the number of injuries and discipline problems.
Unlike his previous clubs – Rennes and Borussia Dortmund – where he had almost no injuries, Dembele suffered 14 muscle injuries and had 784 days off during his period at Camp Nou.
His discipline problems forced the club to assign him personal cooks. He was often late for training because he played computer games at night. And because of this, he became the club’s most penalised player in recent years.
However, when he was fit, his explosive speed and ball skills allowed him to change the game. And he showed glimpses of the talent Barcelona have invested heavily in.
So what made the difference to him?
Those who know Dembele well, and there aren’t many, say he changed after he married his girl partner.
The big change in his life has been over the past two seasons at Barcelona – he has matured.
Author photo, Getty Images
Dembele worked at home with a physiotherapist and often travelled to France for specialised preventative treatments. It seems when he became a father, he started to look at things differently.
He finally realised the importance of good nutrition and over the past few seasons he hired a French nutritionist to help him maintain a healthy lifestyle.
For a while, many believed that PSG winning the Champions League would depend on the on-field achievements of one of France’s heroes. They also believed that this French footballer would be the best in the world.
They were right – but not Mbappe, but Dembele, who has experienced an amazing transformation.
Photo by Getty