Dembele was crowned the winner of the 2024/25 Ballon d’Or after a historic treble with Paris Saint-Germain claiming Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the Champions League along with finishing as Ligue 1’s top scorer. The award is a fitting reward for the French forward, who edged out Lamine Yamal in the final vote.

During a phenomenal season in which Dembele scored 35 goals and registered 16 assists for PSG, he recorded the 15th-highest goal involvement tally among Ballon d’Or winners in the 21st century. While that might not seem eye-popping compared to the “insane” numbers of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, excluding those two legends, Dembele ranks third among the remaining winners.

Having endured a career filled with injuries and setbacks, Dembele’s breakout in 2024/25 was brighter than any other player’s. Remarkably, he won the Ballon d’Or in his very first nomination—a feat last achieved in 2006 by Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro.

Dembele’s victory has also elevated France to the nation with the most individual Ballon d’Or winners in history. Previous French winners include Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini (three times), Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, Karim Benzema, and now Dembele. Prior to this, France was tied with Germany and Italy at five winners each. Germany’s five include Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lothar Matthäus, and Matthias Sammer, while Italy’s list features Omar Sivori, Gianni Rivera, Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio, and Fabio Cannavaro.

With Dembele’s triumph, France now equals Argentina in total Ballon d’Or wins with eight. However, Argentina’s tally all belongs solely to Lionel Messi. Dembele also becomes the first player outside Messi (2009, 2015) to win the Ballon d’Or after a treble-winning season at club level.

Dembele now joins an elite group of just 10 players who have won both the Ballon d’Or and the Champions League while also holding a World Cup title. This illustrious list includes Messi, Beckenbauer, Rossi, Bobby Charlton, Rivaldo, Zidane, Ronaldinho, and Kaka.

Sources: 24h