Dembélé Crowned 2025 Ballon d’Or Winner After Stunning PSG Season
This victory cements Dembélé’s place among football’s elite and marks a career-defining moment for the PSG star.
By Sayer Zaland, AIPS Member
Paris: Paris Saint Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé has claimed the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, edging out Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal for football’s top individual honor.
Dembélé, 28, was rewarded for his key role in PSG’s Champions League triumph, becoming the first French player since Karim Benzema to lift the trophy. The award ceremony took place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, celebrating the world’s best footballers as voted by international journalists.
Germany’s Florian Wirtz, now at Liverpool, finished 29th, while England captain Harry Kane, representing Bayern Munich, claimed 13th place as the Bundesliga’s top performer.
The Ballon d’Or, first awarded in 1956 by France Football and now in partnership with UEFA, recognizes the best player in world football annually. Past winners include legends such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Zinedine Zidane. Between 2010 and 2015, FIFA briefly merged its World Player of the Year award with the Ballon d’Or before the two honors separated again in 2016.
