Ousmane Dembele won Ballon d'Or 'by a wide margin', reveals France Football chief editor - 'There was no contest'
Published 23/09/2025 at 09:14 GMT+1
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The Ballon d'Or winner was an inevitability, said France Football chief editor Vincent Garcia, after Ousmane Dembele won the award for the first time at Monday night's ceremony in Paris. The Frenchman was described as a "smash hit" in the voting after helping Paris Saint-Germain to a historic treble last season. Dembele finished in front of Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal.
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Ousmane Dembele was the "overwhelming" winner of the Ballon d'Or, according to France Football chief editor Vincent Garcia.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward finished ahead of Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and team-mate Vitinha to take football's most prestigious individual award.
And Garcia claimed the outcome was never in doubt, insisting there was "no contest".
"If I had to give you a trend, there was no contest," he said. "Ousmane won by a wide margin, he gained the overwhelming support of our Ballon d'Or judges. It's a Ballon d'Or that's authoritative.
"There wasn't that much of a dispersion of votes. Vitinha still picked up a few first places, Achraf Hakimi too, but ultimately not many.
"Ousmane Dembele was practically a smash hit across all continents, in Europe, South America, North America... It's a clear and unmistakable Ballon d'Or."
Dembele was the clear favourite ahead of Yamal after inspiring PSG to UEFA Champions League glory in 2024/25.
The France international scored 35 goals and provided 14 assists in 53 matches for PSG across all competitions.
He helped his side to an unprecedented treble as they secured the Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France, along with their first Champions League title.
Dembele scored eight goals in Europe's elite competition last season, netting a hat-trick against Stuttgart and crucial strikes against Liverpool and Arsenal in the last 16 and semi-finals, respectively.
He was named the Champions League player of the season as a result, and named in the team of the season alongside six of his PSG team-mates.
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The 28-year-old was in tears as he made his speech on stage at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris.
"What I have just experienced is exceptional, I have no words for it, what happened with PSG," said an emotional Dembele, whose mother joined him on the stage.
"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 said.
"I want to thank PSG who came to get me in 2023. It's an incredible family. The president Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] is like a father to me.
"I also want to thank all the staff and the coach, who have been exceptional with me - he too is like a father - and all my team-mates.
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"We have practically won everything together. You supported me in the good and the difficult times. This individual trophy is one the team has won collectively."
He added: "Thank you to all the clubs I've played for: Rennes, Borussia Dortmund, and the club I always dreamed of playing for, Barcelona.
"I learned so much there, playing alongside players like [Lionel] Messi and [Andres] Iniesta. It was a great learning experience. I am so happy.
"When I see the list of legends who have won this award... I worked hard for the team to win the Champions League, Ligue 1... to win this trophy is incredible. I am very happy."
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