France winger Ousmane Dembele won the 2025 Ballon d’Or on Monday, claiming football’s most prestigious individual award after helping Paris St Germain to a historic treble last season.
Dembele, 28, finished ahead of Barcelona’s 18-year-old forward Lamine Yamal in the vote and succeeds Spain midfielder Rodri, who took the prize in 2024.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona player scored 35 goals across all competitions as PSG won the Ligue 1 title, the French Cup and the Champions League for the first time.
“I really don’t have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG,” Dembele said at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, where the ceremony was held. He credited coach Luis Enrique, calling him “like a father”.
“It is an individual trophy but it was really the collective that won it,” he added. “The Ballon d’Or has not been an objective for me, but I worked hard for the team to win the Champions League.”
Yamal, who played alongside Dembele at Barcelona in 2023, received the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player for the second straight year.
Nine PSG players were among the nominees following the club’s treble-winning campaign.