Written by: Maxime, Reporter in ISFM
In this article we’ll be talking about Ousmane Dembélé, and his success with the 2025 Ballon d’Or reward.
Introduction
“Ousmane Dembélé is a serious candidate for the Ballon d’Or,” said Didier Deschamps, the coach of Les Bleus (the French national team). Dembélé, a Paris Saint-Germain player, has been extremely impressive lately. Thanks in large part to his performances, PSG finally won the Champions League on May 31, 2025, with a resounding 5-0 victory over Inter Milan, who never saw it coming.
What is the Ballon d’Or
The Ballon d’Or is an individual award given to the best football player of the year. However, to receive it, several criteria usually need to be met:
- Win an individual trophy (ex: top scorer, Golden Boot, etc.)
- Win a team trophy (ex: Champions League, World Cup, etc.)
- Have an outstanding season (ex: score many goals, create numerous chances, provide assists, etc.)
Why is Dembélé a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or?
Ousmane Dembélé is a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or because he is currently the 7th top scorer of the 2024–2025 season. Just three weeks ago (this article was written on May 27, 2025), he was ranked 3rd, which shows how prolific he has been in front of goal this season.
In addition, he finished 10th in the European Golden Boot rankings. The Golden Boot is awarded to the top scorer in Europe, with goals weighted by the difficulty of the league: for example, a goal scored in La Liga is worth 2 points, while a goal scored in the Saudi Pro League is worth 1 point, since it’s considered to be of a lower competitive level.
Furthermore, Dembélé doesn’t face overwhelming competition this season. Apart from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, no other player is clearly dominating the race for the Ballon d’Or. This gives Dembélé a real shot. While Yamal continues to impress with his dazzling skills and powerful shots—earning him the nickname “The next Messi”—Dembélé has his own strengths.
One of his key assets is his relentless pressing. He covers an average of 7.87 kilometers per match, which is remarkable for an attacking player. This work rate has been crucial in PSG’s success—they are European champions, in part thanks to Dembélé’s efforts.
What changed for Dembélé to become a Ballon d’Or contender?
Remember Euro 2024 (won by Spain)? If you watched, you might recall that every time Dembélé took a shot, the ball either flew two meters over the bar or went completely wide. The same thing was happening at Paris Saint-Germain—he was off-target far too often. Now, he averages 1.09 goals per game. So, what changed?
It started during the Champions League group stage, in a match against Arsenal. PSG coach Luis Enrique decided not to start Dembélé, frustrated by his lack of goals. Shocked and disappointed, Dembélé realized something: to be a regular starter at PSG, he had to give 100% at all times, whether the match was important or not.
Since then, his mindset has changed. He puts maximum effort into every game, with a new determination to prove himself and score consistently. That’s how Ousmane Dembélé became the 7th top scorer of the season—and why he’s now one of the leading candidates for the Ballon d’Or.
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