Ousmane Dembele claimed his first Ballon d'Or at the Paris ceremony, capping a stellar season for PSG, who dominated several key men's awards as French treble winners.
What Were Dembele’s Key Achievements?
- The 28-year-old French forward scored 35 goals and provided 14 assists in 53 matches, helping PSG win the Champions League, Ligue 1, and French Cup.
- He was joint top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals and earned player of the year honors in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
- Dembele also contributed to PSG reaching the Club World Cup final (lost to Chelsea).
- Beating Barcelona's Lamine Yamal to the award, he became the sixth Frenchman to win it and the second in the 21st century after Karim Benzema in 2022.
- Emotionally, Dembele thanked PSG's "incredible family," president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, coach Luis Enrique, and teammates in his speech, presented by Ronaldinho.
How Did Dembele Revive His Career?
- After a slow start with five goals by mid-December, Luis Enrique switched him from right wing to centre-forward, leading to 30 more goals.
- This fulfilled the potential that saw Barcelona sign him for up to £135.5m in 2017; PSG got him for £43.5m in 2023.
- He also scored twice in seven caps for France in 2024-25, marking his first double-digit league goals since his teenage days at Rennes.
What Other Awards Did PSG and Others Win?
- PSG were named team of the year, with Luis Enrique winning coach of the year.
- Five PSG players ranked in the top 10: Vitinha (3rd), Achraf Hakimi (6th), Gianluigi Donnarumma (9th), and Nuno Mendes (10th).
- Lamine Yamal (18) finished second overall and won the Kopa Trophy for best young player for the second time.
- Other rankings: Mohamed Salah (4th), Cole Palmer (8th); last year's winner Rodri missed the shortlist due to injury.
- Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres won the Gerd Muller Trophy for top scorer (54 goals in 52 games for Sporting, plus 9 for Sweden), despite unclear criteria; he joined Arsenal for up to £64m.
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