France's Ousmane Dembélé wins Ballon d'Or after historic season with PSG

If five or six years ago someone was claiming that Ousmane Dembélé was going to win a Ballon d'Or ahead of the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Neymar Jr, Harry Kane, or, more recently, Pedri, Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal or Vinicius Jr.,  most people would likely not have taken it very seriously. However, the French soccer player, after his historic season with Paris Saint-Germain, the treble-winning team, achieved an insurmountable redemption arc, overcoming the furious criticism that once unfairly made him a global meme.

Through goals, assists and titles, and coupled with a tireless defensive commitment highlighted by his coach, Luis Enrique, Dembélé climbed to the summit of soccer's elite and won his first Ballon d'Or after leading PSG in winning their first UEFA Champions League and securing a historic triple, the first in history for a French club.

'The Mosquito', a nickname he earned thanks to his peculiar stride and speed, converted 35 goals and dished out 16 assists in 53 games, being decisive in PSG's play-offs against Liverpool and Arsenal, scoring the key goals that led to Parisian victories on English soil. In the final against Inter Milan, which ended 5-0, Ousmane did not score, but he gave a masterclass in pressuring the opposition that earned him praise for his commitment and sacrifice for the Parisian collective.

"Incredible and exceptional what just happened to me. It's been an incredible season with PSG. I'm a little nervous. To take this trophy and have it handed to me by Ronaldinho.... I want to thank PSG who came for me in 2023, the whole team, the club which is a family, the president and all the staff who have been at their best and Luis Enrique who is like my father," Dembélé said after receiving the award. "It has been wonderful for this team in the 2024/25 season. They were by my side in the highs and lows. This individual award goes to all of us as a team. I would also like to thank Borussia Dortmund and Rennes. I fulfilled my dreams with Barcelona and was able to play alongside Messi and Iniesta. It was an apprenticeship. To be able to take home this individual trophy is incredible."

The French player also thanked his loved ones: "I want to thank my family, my mother. They have always been there for me in difficult moments. To my agent who believed in me. To my best friend, with whom for the last four five years we have lived everything together. He was always by my side wherever I went and we will be together until the end."

Luis Enrique, coach of the year; Yamal, best young footballer

The Ballon d'Or runner-up was none other than Spain's very young star Lamine Yamal, who won the Kepa Trophy, which rewards the best player under the age of 21, for the second time.

Lamine, one of the great stars of last season, was on the verge of winning his first Ballon d'Or after leading, along with his teammates Pedri and Brazilian Raphinha, FC Barcelona, which was knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan, PSG's opponents in the final. Perhaps, that was the big difference between the Spaniard and the Frenchman, the collective titles, which this time smiled more for Ousmane.

The top-3 was rounded off by Portuguese midfielder Vitinha, Dembélé's teammate.

The rest of the top-30 list comes in the following order: 

4. Salah (Liverpool) 

5. Raphinha (FC Barcelona)

6. Achraf Hakimi (PSG) 

7. Mbappé (Real Madrid) 

8. Cole Palmer (Chelsea) 

9. Donnarumma (PSG) 

10. Nuno Mendes (PSG)

11. Pedri (FC Barcelona) 

12. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)

13. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) 

14. Desiré Doué (PSG) 

15. Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting / Arsenal) 

16. Vinicius JR (Real Madrid) 

17. Robert Lewandowski (FC Barcelona) 

18. Scott McTominay (SSC Napoli)

19. Joao Neves (PSG) 

20. Lautaro Martínez (Internazionale) 

21. Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund) 

22. Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool) 

23. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) 

24. Fabian Ruiz (PSG) 

25. Denzel Dumfries (Internazionale) 

26. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) 

27. Declan Rice (Arsenal) 

28. Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool) 

29. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen / Liverpool) 

30. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)

Just as the award for the best player of the season went to a PSG figure, the Johan Cruyff Trophy, which rewards the best coach, went to the Asturian coach Luis Enrique, who again won a historic treble after the one achieved in the 2014-15 season with FC Barcelona with  "MSN" (Messi, Suarez and Neymar).

However, unlike on that occasion, this time the Spanish coach takes enormous credit, as he built a winning team, one of the best in the world, in a process of reconstruction in the PSG project, which in recent years let go of figures such as Leo Messi, Neymar Jr. or Mbappé himself.

Empowering virtually all of his first-choice players, Luis Enrique made PSG his crowning achievement as a coach, designing a pragmatic positional playing system that preserves the freedom and creativity of his best players, such as the Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Moroccan Hakimi, the Portuguese Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, and Vitinha. He also boosted Ecuadorian Willian Pacho, who has established himself as one of the best center-backs in the world, and gave the green light to the emergence of young talent Désiré Doué, runner-up in the Kopa Trophy.

Aitana Bonmatí crowned the best in the world again

Another big note of the day came from Spain's Aitana Bonmatí, who won the women's Ballon d'Or for the third consecutive year after narrowly edging out her national teammate and rival from last season, Mariona Caldentey.

With her victory, it is the fifth consecutive edition that the award has gone to a Spanish player, demonstrating the power of women's soccer in Spain.

"It's the third time in a row here, I don't really know what to say anymore. The theater is still very impressive. Thanks to France Football, first of all, for awarding me the third, which perfectly could have been from any of you, so, if I could share it, I would, because I think it has been a year where there has been a great level," Aitana said after receiving the award from the legendary Andres Iniesta, whom she showered with praise. "He is one of my idols since I was a child, along with Xavi. I have learned from them, my soccer today, in part, thanks to them, to everything they taught me."

In addition to Bonmatí, the award for best coach went to Dutchwoman Sarina Wiegman, who coaches the England national team.

Likewise, the Yashin Trophy, which rewards the best goalkeepers of the season, went to Hannah Hampton in women's soccer and Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma in men's.

Donnarumma, also of PSG, received the award from legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.