The 28-year-old edged Barcelona\u2019s teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal to the prize at a glittering ceremony in Paris, succeeding Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, last year\u2019s winner. Dembele\u2019s victory comes after a prolific campaign in which he scored 35 goals across all competitions, inspiring PSG to a historic treble of the Champions League, French league, and domestic cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI really don\u2019t have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG,\u201d said an emotional Dembele, who hailed coach Luis Enrique as \u201clike a father.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt is an individual trophy, but it was really the collective that won it,\u201d he added. \u201cThe Ballon d\u2019Or has not really been an objective for me in my career, but I worked hard for the team to win the Champions League.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Dembele, once a mercurial winger at Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona, has matured into PSG\u2019s talisman. He was one of nine players from their treble-winning squad nominated for this year\u2019s award, underlining the club\u2019s dominance in Europe last season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Runner-up Lamine Yamal, just 18, was nonetheless recognised for his meteoric rise. The Spain and Barcelona forward collected the Kopa Trophy for the best player under 21 \u2014 his second consecutive win \u2014 confirming his status as one of world football\u2019s brightest young stars.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Dembele, once a mercurial winger at Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona, has matured into PSG\u2019s talisman. He was one of nine players from their treble-winning squad nominated for this year\u2019s award, underlining the club\u2019s dominance in Europe last season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bonmati endured a bittersweet year: she was named player of the tournament at Euro 2025, where Spain fell to England on penalties in the final, but also lost the Women\u2019s Champions League decider to Caldentey\u2019s Arsenal. Her season was made even more remarkable by the fact she missed Spain\u2019s opening two Euro matches while recovering from viral meningitis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n