He actually did it. After years of being the "what if" guy, the player who could dribble past a brick wall but might miss the open net, Ousmane Dembele is your 2025 Ballon d'Or winner.
It feels weird to say, doesn't it? For nearly a decade, the narrative around Dembele was basically just a long list of hamstring injuries and questionable lifestyle choices in Barcelona. But 2025 was the year the script flipped entirely. Standing on that stage at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, he looked like a man who finally realized how good he was supposed to be.
Dembele didn't just win; he dominated. He put up 37 goals and 15 assists for Paris Saint-Germain. Those aren't just "good winger" numbers—those are "Best in the World" numbers.
The Night Paris Claimed Everything
The ceremony on September 22, 2025, wasn't just a win for Dembele; it was a total coronation for PSG. Honestly, it was a bit of a home game. With the ceremony held in the heart of Paris, the crowd was predictably electric when the 28-year-old Frenchman held the golden ball aloft.
He beat out Lamine Yamal and Vitinha to take the top spot. Think about that for a second. We’ve spent the last year talking about the "new era" of Mbappe and Haaland, yet neither of them even made the podium. Mbappe finished 7th. Haaland? Way down at 26th.
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The voting wasn't even that close. Dembele pulled in 1,380 points, leaving Yamal in second with 1,059. It turns out that leading your team to a historic treble—including that elusive first-ever Champions League title for PSG—carries a lot of weight with the voters.
Why Ousmane Dembele Won (and Others Didn't)
It’s easy to look at the stats and say "yeah, he scored goals." But the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner was decided by the moments. Remember the Champions League run? PSG were staring down the barrel of a 2-0 deficit against Manchester City in January, looking like they’d choke in Europe yet again.
Dembele took over.
He moved into a more central role under Luis Enrique and became untouchable. He wasn't just hugging the touchline anymore. He was the heartbeat of the attack.
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- The Lamine Yamal Factor: At 18, Yamal almost did the unthinkable. He won the Kopa Trophy for the second year in a row, but he couldn't quite jump Dembele for the main prize. He’s the future, sure, but 2025 belonged to the present.
- The Vinicius Jr. Slide: Remember the drama of 2024? Everyone thought Vini had it, then Rodri took it home. By 2025, Vini fell to 16th in the rankings. Real Madrid’s season just didn't have the same bite, and individual brilliance wasn't enough to save him this time.
- The Midfield Engine: Vitinha finishing third is probably the most "purist" part of this year's rankings. He was the glue. While Dembele got the headlines, Vitinha was the one making sure PSG didn't fall apart in transition.
Breaking Down the Full 2025 Rankings
If you look at the top ten, it's clear that the power balance in football has shifted. The Premier League didn't have a single player in the top three.
- Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
- Vitinha (PSG)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
- Raphinha (Barcelona)
- Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
- Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)
- Nuno Mendes (PSG)
Five of the top ten play for PSG. That is absolutely ridiculous. It’s the kind of dominance we haven't seen since the peak "MSN" days at Barcelona or the Galactico era in Madrid.
More Than Just the Men's Award
We can't talk about 2025 without mentioning Aitana Bonmati. She won her third consecutive Women's Ballon d'Or. Three. In a row. She’s officially entered the Messi/Platini tier of consistency. While Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo gave her a run for her money after a massive year in London, Bonmati’s control over the game remains unmatched.
Then you have the "strikers' striker," Viktor Gyokeres. The man is a machine. He bagged the Gerd Müller Trophy after scoring 63 goals for Sporting and Sweden. It’s sort of wild that a guy scoring 60+ goals only finishes 15th in the main Ballon d'Or voting, but that just shows how much the voters value the Champions League trophy these days.
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What This Means for Football's "Next Era"
For a decade, we asked who would fill the void left by Messi and Ronaldo. We thought it would be a straight fight between Mbappe and Haaland.
We were wrong.
The 2025 Ballon d'Or winner proved that the "middle generation"—the guys like Dembele who were once written off—still have plenty to say. It also showed that the "system" is becoming more important than the individual. PSG didn't win because they had the best player in every position; they won because Luis Enrique (who took home the Johan Cruyff Trophy for best coach) built a system that finally allowed Dembele to be efficient rather than just flashy.
Your Move
If you're a fan of the game, 2025 is a reminder to never write a player off. Dembele was the laughing stock of the transfer world for years. Now, he’s the king of Paris.
If you want to keep track of how this changes the 2026 race, keep a close eye on Lamine Yamal’s start to the season. The kid is only getting better, and with Dembele now wearing the crown, the target on PSG's back has never been larger. Watch the tape of Dembele’s 2024-25 season—specifically his movement off the ball in the final third—if you want to see the blueprint for the modern inverted winger.
The era of the "unpredictable" winner is here. And honestly? It's way more fun this way.