PSG’s Dembélé Wins Ballon d’Or

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PSG's Dembélé
Dembélé (Credit Victor Velter via Shutterstock)

This week, Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain was awarded the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or and thus recognised as the greatest player on the planet. The French forward had an impressive season for PSG in 2024/25: he scored 35 goals and provided 14 assists in 53 matches in all competitions, including eight goals in 15 Champions League games.

PSG won basically everything there was to win last term (other than the Club World Cup), so it was no surprise to see them win Men’s Club of the Year and for many of their other players to feature in the various categories. For Dembélé, it marks a level of recognition that seemed unlikely to come when he struggled at Barcelona for six seasons. But now thriving in Paris, the 28-year-old will be eager to cement his position as one of the best players in the world.

Who Were the Other Contenders?

Mo Salah Liverpool
Mo Salah was in the running (Credit Cosmin Iftode via Bigstockphoto)

One of the favourites to land the Men’s Ballon d’Or this time around was Barcelona’s sensational youngster, Lamine Yamal. The 18-year-old had to settle for second place behind Dembélé, although he got the consolation prize of the Men’s Kopa Trophy, as the best player under the age of 21.

Dembélé’s PSG teammate Vitinha was third in the voting, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in fourth and Raphinha of Barca in fifth. The highest-ranking English player was Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who was eight on the list, with Harry Kane in 13th, Jude Bellingham in 23rd and Declan Rice in 27th. Scotland and Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay made the top 20, in 18th position (leaving many Man United fans scratching their heads about why they ever sold him to the Italian side).

Who Won the Other Ballon d’Or Awards in 2025?


Here are the winners of the other main prizes announced at the ceremony in Paris.

  • Ballon d’Or Féminin – Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona) won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the third year in a row, and few could argue with it after she once again showed herself to be an outstanding talent. Arsenal and England forward Alessia Russo was the highest-ranked English woman.
  • Men’s Kopa Trophy – As mentioned, Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) won the youth award, for the second year running, and he looked a little disappointed to have to settle for this rather than the main prize. But time is clearly on his side, and we’re sure it won’t be long before he earns the senior prize. PSG’s talented duo of Désiré Doué and João Neves were second and third, respectively.
  • Women’s Kopa Trophy – Vicky López (Barcelona) won the inaugural Women’s Kopa Trophy after impressing for the Spanish national side. Michelle Agyemang, who made a big impact for England at the Euros, finished in fourth place in this one.
  • Men’s Yashin Trophy – Gianluigi Donnarumma (then of PSG, now at Man City) was an integral part of PSG’s success during 2024/25… and then he was promptly offloaded to Manchester City, reportedly due to excessive salary demands. He was a worthy winner of the goalkeepers’ award and is likely to continue to thrive in the Premier League. Liverpool’s Alisson was the runner-up, with Arsenal’s David Raya in sixth spot.
  • Women’s Yashin Trophy – Hannah Hampton (Chelsea) was recognised as the best female keeper in the world after consistently brilliant performances for both Chelsea and England, with whom she won the Euros.
  • Gerd Müller Trophy – Men – Viktor Gyökeres (then of Sporting, now at Arsenal) earned the top scorer’s award for his monster haul of 63 goals for club and country.
  • Gerd Müller Trophy – Women – Polish forward Ewa Pajor (Barcelona) proved her worth in front of goal with 43 in total for club and country.
  • Men’s Club of the Year – There was no surprise that Paris Saint-Germain won this one, given they won the Champions League, Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the UEFA Super Cup. At least they let someone else win the FIFA Club World Cup!
  • Women’s Club of the Year – Arsenal earned this award largely on the back of winning the Champions League for the first time since 2006/07, beating three-time winners Barcelona in the final in Lisbon.
  • Men’s Coach of the Year – Again, zero surprises here as Luis Enrique took the men’s coaching award for guiding Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League and plenty more besides. Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Liverpool’s Arne Slot were also on the shortlist, but really there was only going to be one winner.
  • Women’s Coach of the Year – Sarina Wiegman got the women’s version after leading England to another Euros victory. The Dutch coach has shown she has what it takes to bring sustained success to her side… something the men’s England team would love to achieve!