Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele has been crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, beating Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to world football’s biggest individual award.
The France international received the honour after an extraordinary campaign, during which he helped the French giants win their first-ever Champions League title.
Dembele also ended the season with the Ligue 1, Coupe de France and French Super Cup titles in the bag. The Frenchman notched 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 games across all competitions.
Dembele and Yamal were considered front-runners for the prestigious award in the Ballon d’Or ranking.
Both players finished ahead of PSG star Vitinha, Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah and Barcelona forward Raphinha.
The top 10 was rounded off by Achraf Hakimi, Kylian Mbappe, Cole Palmer, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Nuno Mendes.
“What I’m experiencing is exceptional,” Dembele said while receiving the award. “It’s been an incredible year with Paris Saint-Germain. I’m a little stressed. It’s not easy.
“It’s exceptional that Ronaldinho is giving me this title. I thank PSG, who came looking for me in 2023, its president, the whole team and the whole club. It’s an incredible family.
“Luis Enrique has also been like a dad to me throughout my career, even though it’s not over. Thank you to my teammates. The team won this individual trophy.”
While Yamal would have been disappointed to miss out on football’s biggest individual honour, he didn’t leave the ceremony empty-handed.
The Barca wonderkid also made history by becoming the first player to win the Kopa Trophy in back-to-back years.
Yamal collected the prize, which recognises the world’s best player under the age of 21, after another outstanding season in Spain.
The Spanish prodigy was instrumental in Hansi Flick’s first year in charge at Barca.
He played a crucial role in helping the club win a La Liga and Copa del Rey double, scoring a brace in a nail-biting 3-2 win over arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Yamal beat PSG duo Desire Doue and Joao Neves to the award.
The teenager has already picked up where he left off this season. He bagged two goals and three assists in three La Liga games before sustaining a groin issue that has kept him out of Barca’s last two games.
Here’s the full 2025 Ballon d’Or ranking.
- Ousmane Dembele
- Lamine Yamal
- Vitinha
- Mohamed Salah
- Raphinha
- Achraf Hakimi
- Kylian Mbappe
- Cole Palmer
- Gianluigi Donnarumma
- Nuno Mendes
- Pedri
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
- Harry Kane
- Desire Doue
- Viktor Gyokeres
- Vinicius Junior
- Robert Lewandowski
- Scott McTominay
- Joao Neves
- Lautaro Martinez
- Serhou Guirassy
- Alexis Mac Allister
- Jude Bellingham
- Fabian Ruiz
- Denzel Dumfries
- Erling Haaland
- Declan Rice
- Virgil van Dijk
- Florian Wirtz
- Erling Haaland
Other key awards at the 2025 Ballon d’Or gala in Paris include;
- Men’s Yashin Trophy 2025: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, Man City)
- Women’s Yashin Trophy 2025: Hannah Hampton (England, Chelsea)
- Women’s Kopa Trophy 2025: Vicky López (Spain, Barcelona)
- Men’s & Women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy 2025: Luis Enrique (Men); Sarina Wiegmann (Women)
- Men’s & Women’s Club of the Year 2025: PSG (Men); Arsenal (Women)
- Gerd Muller Trophy 2025: Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden, Arsenal)
