The most prestigious individual award in world soccer has a new owner, with Ousmane Dembélé being voted as the winner of the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or.
The Frenchman claimed the award following a sublime 2024–25 season with Paris Saint-Germain, beating Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who came in as the runner up, and teammate Vitinha, who completed the podium.
Although Dembélé and Yamal were widely considered as the top contenders to win this year’s prize, an upset wasn’t in the cards in 2025. The PSG forward was the odds-on favorite to win going into the 69th annual ceremony.
As is always the case with the Ballon d’Or, some won’t agree with the voted winner and controversy is intrinsic with the award—see no further than last year when Manchester City’s Rodri defeated Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior to claim the accolade.
However, it’s undeniable that in this year, despite the otherworldly performances from Yamal over the past season and as much as it may pain Barcelona fans, Dembélé is very much deserving of the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Here’s how Dembélé beat Yamal to be recognized as the best player in the world.
