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Dembélé Crowned Ballon d’Or Winner After Historic PSG Season
By Samson Balogun, Sports Captain 
Ousmane Dembélé has etched his name into football history after being crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner in Paris on Monday night. The Paris Saint-Germain forward beat off stiff competition to claim the game’s most prestigious individual honour, capping a season widely regarded as the finest of his career.
The 28-year-old Frenchman dazzled throughout the 2024/25 campaign, contributing 35 goals and 16 assists across all competitions. His explosive pace, creative flair, and clinical finishing proved decisive as PSG not only swept domestic trophies in Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, but also lifted their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
Dembélé’s defining performances came in Europe’s elite competition, where he delivered crucial goals in the semi-finals and final, guiding PSG to long-awaited continental glory. His resurgence under manager Luis Enrique has been hailed as one of the sport’s great comeback stories, given years of injury setbacks and inconsistency that once threatened to derail his career.
“This is a dream come true,” Dembélé said as he accepted the golden trophy at the Théâtre du Châtelet. “As a child, I used to watch legends lift this award and I never imagined I would be here one day. This is for my family, my teammates, and everyone who believed in me.”
The race for the Ballon d’Or was fiercely contested, with Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal finishing runner-up after a sensational breakout season in which he inspired Barça to a domestic treble. However, voters leaned toward Dembélé’s combination of individual brilliance and collective achievement at the highest level.
The ceremony also saw Aitana Bonmatí claim her third consecutive Ballon d’Or Féminin, while Yamal received the Kopa Trophy for best under-21 male player.
For PSG, Dembélé’s triumph marks another milestone in a season that will be remembered for decades. For the player himself, it is a crowning moment of redemption, confirming his transformation from a once-fragile talent into the world’s best footballer.