Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance on the European stage was mirrored at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, where Ousmane Dembele claimed football’s most prestigious individual prize.
The French forward, in tears as he accepted the award, capped off a season that saw PSG sweep the Champions League, Ligue 1, and French Cup titles.
Dembele’s numbers were staggering: 35 goals and 14 assists across 53 matches, including 21 league goals that earned him joint top scorer status in Ligue 1.
READ ALSO, Kogi East Stakeholders Pass Votes of Confidence on Tinubu, Ododo
His performances also brought him the Champions League and Ligue 1 player of the year accolades, underlining his status as the heartbeat of Luis Enrique’s record-breaking side.
The 28-year-old’s triumph represents a remarkable personal turnaround. Once plagued by inconsistency at Barcelona, Dembele has finally delivered on his early promise since joining PSG in 2023 for just £43.5m, a fraction of the £135m fee Barca paid Borussia Dortmund in 2017.
His transformation came after Enrique repositioned him as a central striker midway through the campaign, sparking a run of 30 goals in five months.
It was a night of sweeping success for PSG, who were also named Team of the Year, while Enrique picked up the Men’s Coach of the Year award for masterminding the club’s first Champions League crown.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, now at Manchester City, received his second Yashin Trophy after keeping 17 clean sheets during the treble-winning season.
News Hour Video; FG ASSURES OF TIMELY COMPLETION OF ROAD PROJECT IN KOGI
Elsewhere, Barcelona’s teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal finished runner-up to Dembele but retained the Kopa Trophy for best U21 player, becoming the first two-time winner. Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres, now at Arsenal, secured the Gerd Muller Trophy after netting 54 goals for club and country.
Dembele becomes only the sixth Frenchman to lift the Ballon d’Or, joining Karim Benzema as the only other winner from his nation in the 21st century. For PSG, however, the night was more than just individual accolades, it was confirmation of their status as European football’s new powerhouse.
