Ousmane Dembélé wins 2025 Ballon d’Or in Paris
Yesterday evening, Paris hosted the 69th Ballon d’Or ceremony, the most prestigious award in European football. Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé became the sixth French player in history to receive the Ballon d’Or, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
The ceremony took place on Monday at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Dembélé was presented the trophy by Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2005.
“Thank you all. What just happened to me is simply incredible. I have no words. It was an amazing season with PSG. To win this trophy and to receive it from Ronaldinho is something truly special. I want to thank PSG, its president, and the whole club, which is like a wonderful family. My coach Luis Enrique, who has become like a father to me. I also want to thank all the teams I have played for — Rennes, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona. There I learned so much from players like Messi and Iniesta. It was truly a valuable experience. I am overjoyed,” Dembélé said on stage.
Before Dembélé, French laureates included Michel Platini (three-time winner), Raymond Kopa, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema. With six winners overall, France now holds the world record for the number of individual Ballon d’Or holders. Germany and Italy each count five, while England and Brazil have four.
In terms of total trophies, France has also reached a milestone. With eight Ballon d’Or awards overall, it now shares first place with Argentina. All of Argentina’s titles belong to Lionel Messi, who claimed the prize eight times between 2009 and 2023.
Earlier, it was reported that a rare Lionel Messi rookie card became the most valuable football card ever sold, fetching $1.5 million in a private transaction arranged through Fanatics Collect’s new sales network.