PSG attacker Ousmane Dembélé was named the 2024-25 men’s Ballon d’Or winner on Monday, beating out Barcelona phenom and runner-up Lamine Yamal.
Dembélé, 28, was considered the favorite by many after notching 29 goals and 13 assists between Ligue 1 and Champions League play. He helped lead the Parisians to trophies in Ligue 1, Champions League and Coupe de France, marking the first triple in the club’s history. His 35 goals across all competitions made him PSG’s top scorer and top candidate to be crowned the Ballon d’Or winner.
He was certainly the most intriguing story of the bunch. Dembélé was considered a budding star during his time with Rennes and Borussia Dortmund, only for his time at Barcelona to be a major disappointment.
But he was renewed for the Parisians and helped them finally earn European glory after years of falling just short. There were other players who offered better statistical cases, but Dembélé’s redemption arc and PSG’s status as the top European side during the 2024-25 campaign made him hard to overlook.
Here were some of the day’s other winners:
A pair of Barcelona attackers, Yamal and Raphinha, were worthy of consideration for top male player. The 18-year-old Yamal helped lead Barca to a domestic double, with 16 goals and 22 assists between La Liga, Copa Del Rey and Champions League play, while Raphinha added 32 goals and 16 assists in those competitions.
Here were the full rankings for this year’s award:
Liverpool’s Mo Salah might feel somewhat aggrieved at his ranking after leading the Premier League in scoring last season with 29 goals to go along with an impressive 18 assists. He wasn’t quite as clinical in the Champions League, however, with three goals and four assists across nine contests.
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