Ousmane Dembele secured a comfortable victory in the Ballon d’Or on Monday night, it has been revealed.
At age 28, Dembele secured the prestigious award at a dazzling event in Paris. Known as the Ballon d’Or, this accolade, organized by France Football magazine, is regarded as the pinnacle of individual honors in the football world.
The French star earned the award following a remarkable 2024-25 campaign with PSG, where he netted 35 goals and provided 16 assists. His stellar performance contributed to the team securing four titles, including their historic first-ever Champions League victory.
And, following Dembele’s triumph, the results of the polls have been revealed – and the 28-year-old won by a significant margin.
According to France Football, Dembele picked up 1380 points, which gave him a 321 point lead over Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who came second on 1059.
Ousmane Dembele secured a comfortable victory in the Ballon d’Or on Monday night
The voting results were revealed and showed Dembele had a 321-point lead over Lamine Yamal
Vitinha was a further 356 points back in third place on 703, edging out Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah by a margin of 46.
This means the Egyptian, despite a stellar season where the Reds won the Premier League, was a whopping 723 points behind Dembele.
Yamal’s team-mate Raphinha was fifth, and Achraf Hakimi, Kylian Mbappe, Cole Palmer, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Nuno Mendes completed the top 10.
Dembele, among five PSG athletes who ranked in the top 10 last season, joins the ranks of French legends winning this honor, such as Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema.
He was the overwhelming choice of voters, with 73 of the 100 selecting Dembele as their number one pick.
The Frenchman’s comfortable victory was also in stark contrast to last season’s award when Rodri beat Vinicius Jnr by just 41 points.
Mohamed Salah came fourth with 657 points, which put him 721 points behind PSG’s Dembele
Last year, Man City’s Rodri edged out Vinicius Jnr by an extremely narrow margin of 43 points
Upon receiving the accolade, a visibly moved Dembele, who has also represented Rennes, Borussia Dortmund, and Barcelona, shared a heartfelt address.
“I tried not to cry, but when I mentioned my family and those who have stood by me, emotions took over,” Dembele reflected post-ceremony.
On stage, he had earlier said: ‘What I have just experienced is exceptional, I have no words for it, what happened with PSG.
‘I feel a bit of stress, it’s not easy to win this trophy, and to have it presented to me by Ronaldinho, a legend of football, is exceptional.
‘I want to thank PSG who came to get me in 2023. It’s an incredible family. The president Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] is like a father to me.
‘I also want to thank all the staff and the coach, who have been exceptional with me – he too is like a father – and all my teammates.
“We have almost conquered everything together. You have been my support during both the triumphs and the challenges. This personal award is truly one that reflects our collective success as a team.”
