Dembele Wins 2025 Ballon d’Or After Stunning PSG Resurgence

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 Ousmane Dembélé has completed a remarkable career turnaround, winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or after firing Paris Saint-Germain to a historic treble-winning season.

The French winger, who joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for €105 million (rising to €147m with add-ons), endured a turbulent six-year spell at Camp Nou marred by injuries. Though he won three La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey trophies, he never cemented a consistent role, missing an estimated 784 days due to at least 14 separate muscle injuries.

By summer 2023, Barcelona cut their losses, selling him to PSG for £43.5 million.

Resurgence in Paris

Since arriving in France, the 28-year-old has flourished. In the 2024/25 campaign, Dembélé scored 35 goals in 53 appearances, delivering 21 goals and eight assists in Ligue 1 while adding eight strikes in the Champions League. His decisive goals in knockout rounds propelled PSG to a domestic double and the club’s first-ever Champions League triumph.

Emotional Triumph

At the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Dembélé edged Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to claim world football’s top individual prize. Receiving the trophy from Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, the Frenchman was visibly emotional.

“What just happened to me is incredible. I’m speechless. It’s been an amazing season with PSG. I’ve experienced incredible things, and I’m a little nervous; it’s not easy,” Dembélé said.

He described lifting the award as “truly exceptional” and paid tribute to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the club staff, and coach Luis Enrique, whom he called “like a father” for helping him rediscover his best form.

Dembélé’s Ballon d’Or triumph caps a career revival that looked improbable during his injury-plagued Barcelona years, marking him as the central figure in PSG’s golden era.