Ousmane Dembele Wins 2025 Ballon d'Or After Pivotal PSG Season

Ousmane Dembele's journey to winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or is a story of resilience, transformation, and peak performance under PSG manager Luis Enrique. After a turbulent period marked by injuries and criticism during his time at Barcelona, Dembele revitalized his career at PSG, where he scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists in 53 matches, helping the club secure a historic treble including their first Champions League title. Luis Enrique praised Dembele's all-around contributions, emphasizing his leadership, defensive work, and pressing as reasons for considering him Ballon d'Or worthy. Former coach Xavi and others have highlighted Dembele's natural talent and evolution into a team-focused player rather than an individual statistic chaser. Despite a rocky start and doubts about his discipline and consistency, Dembele’s performances in the 2024-25 season established him as the standout player globally. His victory also places him among the elite French players to have won the Ballon d'Or, following legends like Kopa, Platini, and Benzema.