Dembele’s Moment to Shine
The much-anticipated 2025 Ballon d’Or concluded with Frenchman Ousmane Dembele taking home the award after an unprecedented season with PSG. Ousmane racked up 33 goals and 13 assists across club level, which played a pivotal part in taking PSG to a treble and their long-awaited Champions League trophy.
The stronger and more meaningful message that should be taken from the former Dortmund and Barcelona man winning the most prestigious prize of all. That is about defying expectations, persevering, and achieving your potential in unexpected ways.
The 28-year-old’s reputation before Luis Enrique’s arrival as PSG head coach was one of unreliability, inconsistency, and ‘glass ankles’ due to his poor injury record.
The Spanish manager unearthed the potential that many predicted Dembele to have when he was sold to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund for a record-breaking fee of €148 million in 2017.
The former Barcelona manager was given the role to pick up the pieces after star player and arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe, departed Paris for Madrid.
Enrique deployed Dembele predominantly through the middle for PSG, contrary to his usual place on the wing. This came as a shock, but with the additions of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and wonder kid Desire Doue, they became the most frightening front three in world football.
Dembele wasn’t restricted through the centre of the pitch as the three operated as a fluid and dynamic frontline that rotated throughout games, causing nightmares for opposition defences.
All of it was testament to the understanding and work rate of the players, along with the tactical implementation of Enrique’s desired philosophy.
PSG Domination
PSG was not short of representation, as Enrique won the Johan Cruyff award for Manager of the Season. Gianluigi Donnarumma picked up the Yashin award for Goalkeeper of the season.
Portuguese midfielder Vitinha also came third in the Ballon d’Or ranking after a stellar season, dictating play from midfield for Paris Saint-Germain, while also winning the Nations League with Portugal in the summer of 2023. PSG fullbacks Achraf Hakimi (6th) and Nuno Mendes (10th) also made the top 10, meaning half of those were players from the Parisian side.
Was Anyone Hard Done By?
Although Dembele was a deserved winner, some players may argue that they were not so deserving of the positions they were ranked.
Mohammed Salah finished the 2024/25 season with 34 goals and 23 assists across all competitions. This was enough for him to secure the top goal scorer and top assister titles in the Premier League, alongside title winners Liverpool.
The Egyptian finished 4th, behind Vitinha (3rd), Yamal (2nd), and Dembele (1st), despite contributing to more goals than all of them.
The same can be said for Barcelona winger Raphinha, who remarkably notched up 56 goal contributions across all competitions, compared to Barca teammate Lamine Yamal, who finished runner-up with 39 fewer goal contributions.
The most surprising name to make it into the top 10 had to be Cole Palmer (8th), who finished above the likes of Pedri (11th), Harry Kane (13th), Joao Neves (19th), and Virgil Van Dijk (28th).
Palmer had a respectable season by his standards as he put together 26 goal contributions (15 goals, 11 assists) in 46 games. Chelsea qualified for the 2025/26 Champions League season and added to their trophy cabinet with victories in the UEFA Conference League and the revamped Club World Cup in the Summer.
By no means a failure of a campaign for Palmer, but in comparison to some of the players who had more successful seasons, contributed to more goals, won more meaningful silverware, and finished outside of the top ten, his placement can be seen as generous.
