Ballon d’Or 2025: No Rodri-Vinicius debate as Osumane Dembele reigns
Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele finally won the 2025 Ballon d’Or award.
The France international won the prestigious individual prize ahead of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (second), PSG’s Vitinha (third), Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (fourth) and Barcelona’s Raphinha (fifth) on Monday night in Paris, France.
The 28-year-old emerged as the winner because of his standout performances for PSG in the year under review.
Dembele registered 39 goals and 14 assists from 61 games across all competitions for the Parisians.
He played a key role as he led Luis Enrique’s side to win the UEFA Champions League trophy, the French Ligue 1 title, the French Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
The former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund star was named the French Ligue 1 Player of the Season, Champions League Player of the Season, and he also won the Ligue 1 Golden Boot.
However, his top contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, Yamal, helped Barcelona win the LaLiga and the Copa del Rey last season.
Yamal scored 19 goals and provided 24 assists from 65 games across competitions for Barca.
But his failure to win the UEFA Nations League and the UEFA Champions League might have cost him the coveted prize this year.
reports that this year’s Ballon d’Or top two (Dembele and Yamal) created little or no debate compared to last year’s top two contenders, Manchester City’s Rodri and Real Madrid’s Vinicius.
Recall that Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or ahead of Vinicius, who came in second place.
But several fans, football icons and pundits argued that the Brazilian international should have won the top individual prize ahead of the Spain international.
