If you had told a football fan two years ago that Ousmane Dembélé would be standing on the stage at the Théâtre du Châtelet holding a Golden Ball, they probably would’ve laughed you out of the room. It’s wild. Honestly, the narrative around the Frenchman has always been about "potential" and "what ifs," but on September 22, 2025, the "what if" finally became reality.
Dembélé is the man who won the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
He didn't just win it; he dominated the voting with 1,380 points. He beat out the generational wonderkid Lamine Yamal and his own PSG teammate Vitinha. It was a night that felt like a changing of the guard, officially moving us past the Messi-Ronaldo era into something much more unpredictable.
Why Ousmane Dembélé took home the 2025 Ballon d'Or
Winning this award isn't just about being "good." You've got to have the hardware to back it up. Under Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain, Dembélé transformed from a chaotic winger into a lethal, central force. PSG finally did the thing they’ve been trying to do for a decade: they won the UEFA Champions League.
Dembélé was the heartbeat of that run. He finished the 2024/25 campaign with a staggering 37 goals and 15 assists. For a guy who used to be criticized for his finishing, those numbers are kind of insane. He scored eight times in the Champions League alone, including a decisive performance in the later stages of the FIFA Club World Cup.
👉 See also: Sammy Sosa Before and After Steroids: What Really Happened
The jury—made up of 100 journalists from the top FIFA-ranked nations—clearly valued his role in PSG's historic quadruple. It’s basically the "Luis Enrique effect." Enrique pushed Dembélé into a "marauding false nine" role, and the Frenchman responded by becoming the most dangerous player in Europe.
The Full Men’s Top 10 Rankings
The list this year looked a lot different than the ones we’ve seen over the last fifteen years. No Messi. No Ronaldo. Just a lot of new blood.
- Ousmane Dembélé (PSG / France)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
- Vitinha (PSG / Portugal)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool / Egypt)
- Raphinha (Barcelona / Brazil)
- Achraf Hakimi (PSG / Morocco)
- Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid / France)
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea / England)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Man City / Italy)
- Nuno Mendes (PSG / Portugal)
Lamine Yamal almost made history as the youngest winner ever. He’s 18. Think about that for a second. While he fell short of the top spot, he did pick up his second consecutive Kopa Trophy, which is just a testament to how much he's carrying that Barcelona side.
Aitana Bonmatí: The Three-Peat is Real
While the men’s side felt like a revolution, the women’s side felt like a coronation. Aitana Bonmatí won her third consecutive Ballon d'Or Féminin. She’s essentially the final boss of women’s football at this point.
✨ Don't miss: Saint Benedict's Prep Soccer: Why the Gray Bees Keep Winning Everything
Even though Barcelona lost the UEFA Women's Champions League final to Arsenal, Bonmatí’s individual brilliance was too much to ignore. She’s the engine of the Spanish national team and Barcelona. It's rare to see a player maintain this level of perfection for three straight years, but she’s doing it.
The podium for the women was dominated by the Spanish and the English:
- Winner: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona)
- Second: Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal)
- Third: Alessia Russo (Arsenal)
The "Other" Winners of the Night
It wasn’t just about the big gold balls. Several other players and coaches walked away with heavy luggage from Paris.
Luis Enrique took the Men's Johan Cruyff Trophy for best coach. He didn't even show up to the ceremony because PSG had a match against Marseille that same night, which is such a "football first" move. On the women's side, Sarina Wiegman won the coaching award after leading England to back-to-back Euro triumphs.
🔗 Read more: Ryan Suter: What Most People Get Wrong About the NHL's Ultimate Survivor
Viktor Gyökeres won the Gerd Müller Trophy. The guy is a goal machine. He scored 63 goals across his time at Sporting CP and Sweden before his big move to Arsenal. Seeing a player from outside the traditional "mega-clubs" put up those numbers and get recognized is actually really refreshing for the sport.
The goalkeepers got their shine too. Gianluigi Donnarumma (now at Manchester City) took the Men’s Yashin Trophy, while Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton became the first-ever winner of the Women’s Yashin Trophy.
What This Means for the Future of the Sport
The 2025 results tell us one thing: the era of the "system player" is here. Dembélé succeeded because he was placed in a system that maximized his specific, weird, brilliant talents.
If you're looking to track who might win in 2026, keep an eye on the consistency of these younger players. Lamine Yamal isn't going anywhere. He’s the heir apparent. But for now, the crown stays in Paris.
Practical Takeaways from the 2025 Ballon d'Or:
- Club Success Matters: If you don't win the Champions League or a major international trophy, your chances of winning the Ballon d'Or drop significantly. Dembélé’s quadruple was the tiebreaker.
- The Age Gap is Closing: We are seeing more teenagers and early-20s players in the Top 10 than ever before.
- New Tactical Roles: The "False Nine" and high-pressing systems are producing the most statistical output for individual awards.
Keep an eye on the 2025/26 season stats for players like Yamal and Vitinha. They are already the betting favorites for next year, especially with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.