Opinions collide after 2025 Ballon D’or winner is chosen
The Ballon D’or, awarded by France Football, is one of the most prestigious individual awards a soccer player can earn in their career. In order to even be considered for the award a player must display incredible individual and team performances consistently throughout the entire year. Ousmane Dembélé, a 28-year-old French man who plays as a forward for the club Paris Saint-Germain was the winner of the 2025 Ballon D’or. There is some controversy over whether Dembélé actually deserved to win. Some people argue that 18-year-old Spanish superstar Lamine Yamal should have won. Others say the Brazilian Raphael Dias Belloli or Raphinha deserved the award. While Yamal and Rapinha both had incredible seasons, Dembélé’s achievements clearly set him apart as the only logical choice for the award, as he led PSG to a Treble by winning the Union of European Football Associations Champions League, Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Trophee des Champions – Super Cup. He was also named as the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season and the Ligue 1 Top scorer with 21 goals and Player of the Year. All of this was done with a 49 G/A with 35 goals and 14 assists in 53 matches.
Justin Rea ‘28 said, “I think he did deserve it because he was clinical for his team and you can see the difference when he’s not on the pitch and when he is, of course there are other players like Barcola or Goncalo Ramos that can play in his position but they don’t match Dembélé’s attributes.”
Dembélé’s presence was required on the pitch. Without him his team would have never been able to accomplish what they did. “[He] and his team accomplished a continental treble, won the Champions League, won league trophy, and coupe de France… he and his team also made it to the Club World Cup final,” said Rea.
Dylan Nielsen ‘28 said, “Kylian Mbappé obviously just recently left the team and the team was better without him and he was leading the team so I think he deserved it.”
Dembélé stepped up when PSG’s former star player, Mbappé, left. Dembélé filled his role and led the team to greater achievements than Mbappé ever did.
It is clear that Dembélé was a key part in accomplishing these feats and winning these titles. Without him it is to be wondered whether PSG could have been able to do these things. While other people might argue that Lamine Yamal or Raphael Dias Belloli should have won the Ballon D’or, these statistics and accomplishments leave no doubt that Dembélé deserved his win.
