PARIS St-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé has claimed the 2025 Ballon d’Or, beating the likes of Lamine Yamal and PSG teammate Vitinha.
The 28 year old was once seen as a failed wonderkid after an injury ridden spell at Barcelona, not living up to the expectations set by a £135.5m price tag.
The frenchman moved to PSG for just £43.5m in 2023 and has managed to finally get a long spell of consistent world class performances in France.
Once Kylian Mbappe left Paris to light up Spain, Dembélé stepped up and took the talisman spot for himself, scoring 35 goals and 16 assists in the 2024/2025 campaign.
His mastery alongside great performances from a team filled with young exciting talents led PSG to winning the treble, including Paris’ first ever champions league.
His rise was seen as expected when he started his career at Stade-Rennais quickly becoming one of the most exciting talents and earning a move to Borussia Dortmund at just 19 Years Old.
He only spent a year in Germany as his rookie campaign earned him a move to Barcelona, seen as the replacement for Neymar, who left for Paris for a record high fee.
The expectations were set too high for the young Dembélé who struggled at Barcelona, seeing multiple injuries limit his game-time and how much effect he could have in Spain.
After five seasons fighting for a consistent string of appearances, Dembélé had a feeling of deja vu, as Paris St-Germain needed a replacement for Neymar.
Whilst Neymar never managed to lift the Ballon d’Or, always taking a backseat to Messi and Ronaldo. Last Night saw Dembélé win football’s top award.
He was closely followed by Barcelona’s star boy Lamine Yamal. Who at just 18 years old would’ve become the youngest ever winner.
The youngest ever winner of the award is Ronaldo Nazário, who was 21 when he earned the prize, so if the fight stays as it is with Dembélé and Yamal going head to head, the Spaniard has 3 years to make history and break the record.
