Dembele wins Ballon d'Or by a wide margin, Yamal runner-up as Salah finishes fourth

Ousmane Dembele was crowned Ballon d'Or winner at a ceremony in Paris on Monday night, collecting 1,380 points to secure a comfortable margin over the runner-up, Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who finished on 1,059. The 28-year-old French forward produced a standout 2024-25 season for Paris Saint-Germain, recording 35 goals and 16 assists as PSG captured four trophies, including the club's first Champions League title.

A 30-man shortlist was pared from a larger group, and 100 journalists from the top FIFA nations voted, with each voter naming their top 10 choices. The results were converted into points, with 15 for first place, then 12, 10, eight, seven, five, four, three, two and one for the remaining spots. Dembele's 1,380 points gave him a 321-point edge over Yamal, who finished second with 1,059. Vitinha was third on 703, ahead of Mohamed Salah, who ended fourth on 657. Raphinha was fifth with 620, followed by Achraf Hakimi (484), Kylian Mbappe (378), Cole Palmer (211), Gianluigi Donnarumma (172) and Nuno Mendes (171).

Dembele's margin stood out in contrast to last year's close finish, when Rodri edged Vinicius Jnr by 41 points. Salah's finish in fourth place marked a standout season for the Liverpool forward, who helped his team win the Premier League but remained well behind Dembele in the final tally.

Speaking after collecting the trophy, Dembele became emotional while reflecting on family and the support system around him. “I didn't want to cry, but as soon as I started talking about my family, about the people who have been there for me, it came up and I couldn't hold it back,” he said. On stage earlier, he had told the audience, “What I have just experienced is exceptional, I have no words for it, what happened with PSG. I feel a bit of stress, it's not easy to win this trophy, and to have it presented to me by Ronaldinho, a legend of football, is exceptional.” He added his gratitude to PSG, noting the club’s president and staff as part of a supportive family environment, and thanked his teammates for their role in the team’s success.

Dembele's victory makes him just the sixth Frenchman to win the Ballon d'Or, following Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema. He was the overwhelming choice of voters, with 73 of the 100 naming him as their number one pick. The win underscores a season in which Dembele was a key figure for PSG, who achieved one of the club’s most storied feats in winning Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in its history.

The voting results and the margin in this year’s Ballon d'Or casting reaffirm Dembele’s standing as one of Europe’s most productive players over the past 12 months. While Yamal, Vitinha and Salah delivered merit-rich campaigns across La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Premier League, Dembele’s contributions were decisive for PSG in multiple competitions. His performance solidifies a career arc that has seen him star for Rennes, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona before moving to PSG, and now a Ballon d'Or amid a historic PSG season. The ceremony in Paris capped a campaign that reasserted Dembele’s status as one of the premier attacking forces in modern football, with the trophy serving as a capstone to a year of achievements for both player and club.