Ousmane Dembélé has completed one of football’s most remarkable turnarounds by winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger claimed the game’s most prestigious individual prize on Monday night after edging Barcelona’s teenage prodigy and Kopa Trophy winner Lamine Yamal, who finished second.
Dembélé’s teammate at PSG, the ever-consistent Vitinha, secured third place.
Brazil legend Neymar Jr left Barcelona for Paris chasing the Ballon d’Or dream. PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer Kylian Mbappé then left Paris for Real Madrid to become the world’s best.
Dembélé’s story is different. He left Barcelona for Paris, not to chase glory, but to rescue a career many thought lost.
Life seemed cruel. Injuries kept breaking him down, and inconsistency masked his immense talent. At times, fans lost their patience. Yet, beneath the doubts, Dembélé kept working. He refused to surrender his gifts to pain or endless criticism.
Irony played its hand. In 2017, Barcelona bought him to replace Neymar Jr. In 2023, PSG signed him for the same task.
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And now, in 2025, the circle closed. Dembélé won the Ballon d’Or — the very trophy Neymar Jr never touched.
The unpredictable path of success
Football loves a twist. Who could have written that the “injury-prone winger” would end up standing above them all?
His story teaches patience. Success doesn’t always follow the map we draw. Sometimes it comes when least expected, from unlikely places. For Dembélé, it wasn’t the smoothest journey. It was messy, fragile, and frustrating, but that’s what makes this triumph sweeter.
The lesson is clear. Don’t compare paths. Neymar’s story isn’t Mbappé’s. Mbappé’s isn’t Dembélé’s. Each dream runs on its own fuel.
Dembélé’s rise is proof that setbacks don’t define you. The way you respond to them does. And he responded brilliantly.
The 28-year-old is also the first black man since George Weah (in 1995) to win the award.
Tags: Ousmane Dembélé, Ballon d’Or 2025, #BallondOr2025, #BallondOr, #PSG, #Parisiens, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr, Lamine Yamal, Kopa Trophy, Vitinha, Barcelona, Real Madrid.
