The Ballon d'Or is one of the most sought-after trophies not just in global football, but in all of sport.
Bestowed upon the best football player in the world across the previous season, the award has turned superstars into legends of the game.
The 2025 honour was claimed by Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele, who enjoyed one of the most exceptional seasons across the 2024/25 campaign of any player in Europe or the world.
Dembele was at the heart of PSG's first-ever triumph in Europe, delivering Parisians the moment they had craved for over a decade.
The Sporting News details the Frenchman's credentials and why he pipped the likes of Lamine Yamal and Mohamed Salah to the award.
MORE: Final results of 2025 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony
Luis Enrique surprised everyone by composing a “Ballon d’Or song” for Ousmane Dembélé when asked about his expectations 👀 #PSG #Dembele #LuisEnrique #beINSPORTS pic.twitter.com/T4IV9HN73j
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) September 20, 2025
Ousmane Dembele stats 2024-25: Goals, assists, trophies for PSG
While there were multiple world-class performances to help Paris Saint-Germain win the 2024/25 Champions League title, the contributions of Ousmane Dembele were utterly vital in PSG lifting a European title for the first time.
Dembele was slow to begin the season, at least from a European standpoint, and he was absent from the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal in league play which left the club in a nervous early position. Yet once the calendar turned to 2025, Dembele came to life and spurred PSG to victory.
MORE: Why Raphinha should win the 2024/25 Ballon d'Or
The 28-year-old scored a hat-trick in the final league phase game to help secure a knockout position, and gave his side an early lead in the knockout playoffs against Brest. Then, starting with the second leg of their Round of 16 match against Liverpool, Dembele went on a legendary hot streak to finish the European campaign, scoring or assisting a goal in each of PSG's final six games of the tournament, including a key winning goal in the first semifinal leg against Arsenal and a pair of assists in the final against Inter.
To go along with that success, PSG also won the domestic double, triumphing in both Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France. Dembele was a key contributor in both, winning Ligue 1 top goal scorer on a tiebreaker over Mason Greenwood and scoring a vital brace in the cup semifinal.
| Competition | Games (Starts) | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| Ligue 1 | 29 (20) | 21 | 8 | 1,736 |
| Coupe de France | 4 (3) | 3 | 1 | 298 |
| UEFA Champions League | 15 (13) | 8 | 6 | 1,166 |
| FIFA Club World Cup | 4 (2) | 2 | 1 | 198 |
| TOTAL | 52 (38) | 34 | 16 | 3,398 |
Did Ousmane Dembele deserve the 2025 Ballon d'Or?
There is no denying that Dembele was absolutely critical to PSG's Champions League title, and that can often lift a player to victory, especially attacking stars like Dembele who score goals, as opposed to other world-class performers like Vitinha or Achraf Hakimi.
However, there was one thing working against Dembele in this year's race — his domestic league. Winning the Ballon d'Or while playing in Ligue 1, largely considered the weakest of the five major European leagues, requires significant heavy lifting in other departments. That put Dembele at a disadvantage.
Dembele did not have the sheer numbers to outshine the likes of Raphinha or Mohamed Salah, and while he did assist two goals in the Champions League final, he was held without a goal of his own in that trophy match and was quieted in the blowout defeat to Chelsea in the Club World Cup later that summer, the two biggest and most visible games of their season.
At the end of the day, Dembele lacked a standout resume stamp on any of the following categories: a season-defining moment, sheer numbers, competition pedigree, or star power to get him over the top. The Sporting News believed that should have seen him fall just short to Raphinha, but the voters saw it differently, and a win for the Frenchman was fully deserved.