The France international won the prestigious individual prize ahead of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (second), PSG’s Vitinha (third), Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (fourth) and Barcelona’s Raphinha (fifth) on Monday night in Paris, France.
The 28-year-old emerged as the winner because of his standout performances for PSG in the year under review.
Dembele registered 39 goals and 14 assists from 61 games across all competitions for the Parisians.
He played a key role as he led Luis Enrique’s side to win the UEFA Champions League trophy, the French Ligue 1 title, the French Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
The former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund star was named the French Ligue 1 Player of the Season, Champions League Player of the Season, and he also won the Ligue 1 Golden Boot.
However, his top contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, Yamal, helped Barcelona win the LaLiga and the Copa del Rey last season.
Yamal scored 19 goals and provided 24 assists from 65 games across competitions for Barca.
But his failure to win the UEFA Nations League and the UEFA Champions League might have cost him the coveted prize this year.
News360 Info reports that this year’s Ballon d’Or top two (Dembele and Yamal) created little or no debate compared to last year’s top two contenders, Manchester City’s Rodri and Real Madrid’s Vinicius.
Recall that Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or ahead of Vinicius, who came in second place.
But several fans, football icons and pundits argued that the Brazilian international should have won the top individual prize ahead of the Spain international.
Real Madrid were disappointed and did not send Vinicius or anyone to the Ballon d’Or event at the Theatre du Châtelet in Paris.
Speaking with News360 Info on Monday night, former TTC Football Academy coach Emmanuel Brown insisted that Dembele deserved the award ahead of Yamal.
According to him, the Frenchman was key to PSG’s success both domestically and in Europe.
He added that Dembele beating Yamal to the Ballon d’Or did not create a debate or argument like when Rodri won the award ahead of Vinicius last year.
“First and foremost, I want to say a big congratulations to Dembele for winning the Ballon d’Or to become the best player in the world,” Brown said.
“He truly deserves the Ballon d’Or ahead of Yamal, and there should be no debate about it, like what we saw between Rodri and Vinicius in the last edition.
“A well-deserved one for him [Dembele]. I’m happy for him because he has truly developed and matured in the game, right from when he was at Dortmund and Barcelona.
“Dembele is also a humble player who you hardly see having issues with coaches or teammates.
“Of course, he was a key player for PSG last season, leading them to win their first-ever UEFA Champions League after winning the Ligue 1 title.
“He is a fantastic player and I hope he continues his top performances for PSG this season. As for Yamal, as long as he continues playing for Barcelona, he will surely win the Ballon d’Or in his career.”
