Ousmane Dembele Beats Lamine Yamal To Little-Known Award Ahead of Ballon d'Or
Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele has been crowned the winner of the 2025 Onze d’Or award, just days before this month's much-anticipated Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Dembele is one of the favourites to take home this year's Ballon d'Or. He enjoyed a remarkable season in 2024-25, notching 35 goals and 16 assists in all competitions as PSG were crowned European champions.
He also picked up several individual awards, including the Ligue 1 Player of the Season and top scorer, as well as the Champions League's Player of the Season.
And in the build-up to Monday night's Ballon d'Or ceremony, Dembele has been recognised for his efforts by being awarded the Onze d’Or, presented by Onze Mondial magazine.
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The 28-year-old France international received 32.5 per cent of the votes, finishing ahead of Lamine Yamal (30%), Kylian Mbappé (12.5%) and his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Achraf Hakimi (7%).
Speaking to the monthly magazine after his win, Dembele said: "We won almost every trophy possible, and the season that we had collectively means that the club's players deserve to win individual awards."
He added: "I'm proud. It proves that I worked hard throughout the season and, going even further back, throughout all of these years to win individual trophies. I'm touched by it; my sacrifices and my performances have been recognised."
Many have backed Dembele to win the Ballon d'Or, including PSG manager Luis Enrique.
In the wake of PSG’s emphatic Champions League win, he said: “Everyone’s talking about the Ballon d’Or, I would give it to Ousmane Dembele. Just because of, if we think about how he defended today. He showed just what he was made of."
"He was a leader, he was humble, and he defended. Without a shadow of a doubt, he deserves this," Enrique added. "Not just for the goals that he’s scored, but also for the pressing we saw. We’ve seen such a season from him, and he was exceptional.”
Thierry Henry names his Ballon d’Or winner
After Wednesday's round of Champions League fixtures, which included victories for Barcelona and Manchester City, punditry duo Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry discussed the Ballon d'Or on CBS Sports.
Carragher named Dembele, Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Yamal, Raphinha and Achraf Hakimi as his contenders, calling them "the top six players", but he would soon identify Dembele as his winner
As for Henry, he also put forward the Frenchman for this year's accolade. "I don't even have to talk," he added.
Topics: Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal, Ballon d'Or, PSG, FC Barcelona
Jack Kenmare