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Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembele capped off a career-defining year by winning the Ballon d’Or 2025 on Monday, rewarding his pivotal role in PSG’s historic Champions League triumph. The Frenchman edged out Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal to succeed 2024 winner Rodri as football’s most prestigious individual prize returned to Paris.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Dembele, 28, enjoyed a spectacular campaign after being converted into a centre-forward following Kylian Mbappe’s departure to Real Madrid. He delivered an astonishing 35 goals across all competitions, firing PSG to a domestic double and their long-awaited first Champions League crown. The crowning moment came in Munich, where PSG demolished Inter Milan 5-0 in the final.“I really don’t have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG,” said a visibly emotional Dembele at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The Frenchman credited head coach Luis Enrique — who also took home the award for club coach of the year — as “like a father” in guiding his transformation.Despite celebrating individual glory, Dembele stressed the team’s role in his success: “It is an individual trophy but it was really the collective that won it.”
Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí receives the 2025 Women’s Ballon d’Or. (AP Photo)
While Dembele lifted the men’s prize, Aitana Bonmati of Spain claimed the Women’s Ballon d’Or for the third year running, beating her international teammate Mariona Caldentey. Bonmati, 27, starred at Euro 2025 despite Spain losing the final to England, and said her continued success was down to her teams at club and country level.The ceremony also saw Lamine Yamal, still just 18, claim the Kopa Trophy for best young male player for a second consecutive year. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma took home the Yashin Trophy before his summer move to Manchester City, while England’s Hannah Hampton was named best women’s goalkeeper. England boss Sarina Wiegman won best women’s coach.Dembele’s triumph ends years of Ballon d’Or dominance by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and more recently Rodri, underlining PSG’s rise as a true European powerhouse. With his name etched into football history, the 2018 World Cup winner admitted the award had never been a career target but reflected: “I worked hard for the team to win the Champions League — this is the reward.”
