Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé has won the Ballon d’Or for the first time, capping off a remarkable season with the French champions.
The 28-year-old France international was honoured with football’s most prestigious individual award following a stellar campaign in which he scored 35 goals and provided 14 assists in 53 appearances, helping PSG secure a historic treble — including their first-ever Champions League title.
Dembélé finished as joint top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals and was named both Ligue 1 Player of the Year and Champions League Player of the Year.
He also played a key role in PSG’s journey to the Club World Cup final, where they were narrowly beaten by Chelsea in New Jersey.
He edged out Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal for the award and appeared emotional as he received the trophy during the ceremony in Paris.
Despite PSG playing on the same night, Dembélé — currently sidelined with injury — was able to attend.
His absence was felt as PSG fell 1-0 at home to Marseille in a match rescheduled due to an earlier storm.
The award marks a stunning resurgence in Dembélé’s career. Before last season, he hadn’t reached double figures in league goals since his teenage days at Rennes.
Much of his transformation is credited to PSG manager Luis Enrique — named Coach of the Year — who made a decisive tactical switch in December.
Moving Dembélé from his usual right-wing position to a central striker role against Lyon on 15 December, when he had just five goals to his name, proved a turning point. From that moment on, he scored 30 goals in all competitions.
Dembélé is now fulfilling the immense potential that prompted Barcelona to pay an initial £96.8 million (potentially rising to £135.5 million) to sign him from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.
Last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, Manchester City midfielder Rodri, missed out on the shortlist this time following an injury-plagued season.
