Ousmane Dembele was announced the winner of the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the gala held in Paris on the 21st of September, but his victory is nothing like anything seen in decades. He is unique.

The 28-year-old started the season on the other side of his manager, in a team that had just lost its best player of seven years in Kylian Mbappé, and was struggling to win a game in the Champions League.

But these aren’t what really made his victory stand out. Betrekatips writer Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi takes a deep dig into the annals of football folklore to appreciate the genius of the Frenchman, who took himself to unimaginable heights while helping Les Parisiens make history.

How Unique is Ousmane Dembele’s Ballon d’Or?

Exactly a decade ago, Ousmane Dembele emerged from the academy of Rennes as one of the players who’d define their era, but after spending six years in Barcelona, no one would have thought of him claiming the prestigious award.

The youngster arrived in Spain at the age of 20 with the world at his feet, after just one season with Borussia Dortmund in Germany, where he was so good he was signed for €140 million.

But injuries never saw him fulfil his potential in Spain, and after returning to France in 2023, a league where no player who spent the season there had even won the Ballon d’Or since Jean-Pierre Papin in 1991, the chances couldn’t get any slimmer.

Dembele suffered 22 different injuries and missed 155 games during his time in Barcelona. In that period, he completely fell off and was barely fit to play ten consecutive games. At the end of his Barcelona stint, he looked like just another top prospect who never peaked.

But there he was on Monday night, after what has been an incredible 10 months, leapfrogging all the names that could have been favourites at the start of last season.

First Ligue 1 Player to Win Ballon d’Or since 1991

Although Lionel Messi won the prize while on the books of Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, he spent the duration considered for the award with Barcelona in Spain, and his victory in 2023 came when he had moved to Inter Miami, largely down to his World Cup heroics with Argentina.

However, it was a different case for Ousmane Dembele, who had to do the almost impossible to even be considered a favourite, and he did.

In the previous Ballon d’Or, Kylian Mbappé had almost as good a season, but a Champions League semi-final elimination, the only blemish on what was otherwise a spectacular campaign with PSG and France, saw him fall to sixth, below Erling Haaland.

Dembele stepped up where his countryman failed, inspiring PSG to a semi-final victory over Arsenal by scoring the lone winner at the Emirates and assisting the winner in Paris, and in the final, he assisted two in a 5-0 win.

Since Jean-Pierre Papin, who won Ligue 1 and led Olympique Marseille to the European Cup final in 1991, Ousmane Dembele is the only player to win the Ballon d’Or based on performances for a French club.

Fourth Ballon d’Or Winner on First Nomination

Before featuring in the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or in August, Ousmane Dembele had never been nominated for the prestigious award, and his victory makes him the first player to win the award on their first nomination in the 21st century.

Previously, three players had won the Ballon d’Or on their first nomination before the former Rennes academy standout.

Four Ballon d’Or Winners on First Nomination

Stanley Matthews was the first-ever Ballon d’Or winner in 1956, so the former Blackpool winger automatically is the first player to win the award in their first nomination.

In 1995, George Weah shocked the world by winning the award despite never being nominated. The former AC Milan and Liberian international also became the first-ever African winner of the Ballon d’Or, and still stands alone in that respect to date.

Two years later, 21-year-old Ronaldo Nazario won the Ballon d’Or in his first nomination, becoming the youngest winner of the Ballon d’Or at the time.

Last night in Paris, while his Paris Saint-Germain team was the biggest winner courtesy of the status he has elevated them to, Ousmane Dembele shone the brightest and was duly crowned the winner of the prestigious Ballon d’Or.

Ousmane Dembele | What the Winner Said

“It’s been an incredible year with PSG. It’s exceptional that Ronaldinho is handing me this title.

“I thank everyone at PSG. President Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Luis Enrique are both like dads to me.

“I also thank all the clubs I’ve played for: Dortmund, Rennes, and Barcelona. I was with great players like Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi"

“The Ballon d’Or wasn’t a goal in my career but it’s exceptional to win. I worked for the team to win the Champions League, and to be thanked with a trophy like the Ballon d’Or makes me very happy tonight.”

Ousmane Dembele | The People’s Winner

Before the announcement of his victory, shouts of his name had filled the air as Ronaldinho was set to pronounce it. But we all know that isn’t enough, as evident from the last edition, when the crowd chanted the name of Vinicius Jr., but Rodri was crowned.

While the winners of the award can be tricky and sometimes controversial, like Jude Bellingham even being considered top two for the award despite being the best player in the previous edition, Ousmane Dembele winning this time was never in doubt.

A closer look at the criteria for winning the award, and you’ll realize that if any of the favourites came close to the PSG winger, it would be Raphinha, who also had several decisive performances for Barcelona, especially in the Champions League.

Mohamed Salah, for instance, was the outright favourite until he was nowhere to be found when Liverpool needed someone to rescue a Champions League round of 16 elimination at the hands of PSG, who had reached that stage by playing in the elimination round.

The highlight of Lamine Yamal’s season was the two-legged semi-final clash with Inter in the Champions League, a tie that ended with his Barcelona team winning none of the games and suffering a heartbreaking aggregate loss.

Combining it all, Ousmane Dembele shone where everyone else failed, and the progression to the Champions League final changed the face of things, while winning it made him the undisputed favourite, even in the midst of the media agenda.

What Next for Ousmane Dembele?

Like he said, the Ballon d’Or was never a goal in his career, but now he has won it. And like he said a few weeks ago, great champions don’t win once.

Keeping up the standard will not be easy, but just as no one thought he would be here today, Ousmane Dembele will have to continue with what he does and see how things work out in the future.

Renewed Hope for France and France Football

Before Karim Benzema was crowned Ballon d’Or winner in 2022, no French player had featured in the Ballon d’Or top two since Thierry Henry narrowly lost out to Pavel Nedved in 2003. With Dembele’s achievement, that makes it two in four years.

Although the future is difficult to predict with a new set of favourites emerging each year, French football can also be hopeful of how their players are now standing up and performing at the top to secure the best prizes.

Michael Olise in Germany, Kylian Mbappé in Spain, Marcus Thuram in Italy, William Saliba in England, and all the talents at home in France, where the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele, also plies his trade, they couldn’t be more optimistic.