French winger claims football’s top prize following Champions League breakthrough season
PARIS, France – Ousmane Dembélé walked away with the 2025 Ballon d’Or at Monday night’s ceremony in Paris, finally claiming football’s biggest individual prize. The PSG forward’s 35 goals and 16 assists helped deliver the club’s first Champions League title, and apparently convinced enough voters that he deserved the top honor.
The Champions League Monkey Off PSG’s Back
Dembélé’s Ballon d’Or win feels like the natural conclusion to what was probably PSG’s best-ever season. That first Champions League trophy had been eluding them for years, despite all the money spent and star players brought in.
His 35 goals represent a career-high, though some might argue the competition in Ligue 1 isn’t quite what it used to be. Still, those crucial goals against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the Champions League knockouts? Those were the moments that likely sealed this award.
“This award represents not just my journey, but the collective effort of everyone at PSG,” Dembélé said during his acceptance speech. “Winning the Champions League was our dream, and to receive this honor makes it even more special.”
The numbers don’t lie, 51 goal contributions across 47 games is elite-level production by any measure.
From Injury Nightmare to Golden Ball
Let’s be honest: a few years ago, many people had written Dembélé off. Those hamstring injuries at Barcelona were becoming a running joke. Every time he seemed to hit form, another muscle problem would sideline him for months.
His move to PSG in 2023 appears to have been exactly what he needed. Working under Luis Enrique seems to have helped him find that consistency that was missing during his Barcelona days.
Messi’s congratulatory message on social media felt particularly meaningful: “Ousmane deserves this recognition after overcoming so many challenges. His talent was never in question, but his determination to succeed has been inspiring.”
Coming from someone who knows a thing or two about winning Ballon d’Ors, that carries weight.
A Surprisingly Close Race
The voting was tighter than many expected. Dembélé’s 1,247 points only just edged out Lamine Yamal’s impressive total, with a margin of 156 points suggesting this wasn’t the runaway victory some predicted.
Yamal’s second-place finish at his age is remarkable, though you have to wonder if voter fatigue with Barcelona’s recent dominance played a role. Haaland’s 52 goals for City probably deserved more recognition, but team success often trumps individual statistics in these awards.
The fact that five different clubs had players in the top five suggests the quality is more spread out than in previous years. Whether that’s good for football or just reflects the current state of the game is debatable.
PSG’s Project Finally Paying Off?
This win validates years of PSG’s ambitious spending, though critics might point out it took them this long to win the Champions League despite all the resources. Five players in the Ballon d’Or Team of the Year is impressive, but it also shows how much talent they’ve stockpiled.
“Ousmane’s Ballon d’Or represents the culmination of our project,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. The word “culmination” is interesting, does this mean they’ve achieved what they set out to do, or is there more to come?
The French club’s investment strategy has certainly evolved from the Galáctico approach of the Neymar and Mbappé era.
French Football’s Latest Star
Dembélé becomes the sixth French player to win the Ballon d’Or, joining some pretty exclusive company. The gap between Benzema’s 2022 win and this one was shorter than many expected, suggesting French football is in a healthy place.
Didier Deschamps’ comments about inspiring young French players ring true, though you have to wonder how many kids will have the patience to overcome the injury setbacks Dembélé faced.
The depth of French attacking talent right now, Mbappé, Griezmann, Coman, and now Dembélé at the top – gives them options most national teams can only dream of.
The Numbers Game
Those 51 goal contributions across 47 games work out to 1.09 per match, which is genuinely elite territory. His Champions League numbers were particularly eye-catching:
- 12 goals and 7 assists in 13 European matches
- 89% pass completion in the final third
- 67 successful dribbles per 90 minutes
The versatility factor probably helped his case too. Being able to play effectively on either wing or centrally gives any team tactical flexibility that coaches love.
Whether he can maintain this level remains to be seen, but for now, he’s earned his place among football’s elite.
