French winger Ousmane Dembélé crowned 2025 Ballon d’or winner after overcoming years of injuries, criticism, and doubt.
28-year-old Ousmane Dembélé, started his career at Rennes before he moved to Borussia Dortmund. Here, his impressive form earned him a €105 million transfer to Barcelona in 2017.
However, his time in Spain was troubled due to repeated injuries and inconsistent performances and between 2017 and 2022, he missed over 100 games, leading fans and the media to label him a flop in the world football.
In 2023, Dembélé joined Paris Saint-Germain, where his career took a new turn. Here, he worked so hard and he regained his fitness, improved his discipline, and became a key player in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League. During the last season, he was able to score 22 goals and provided 18 assists which helped PSG secure a league title and reach the Champions League final.
While receiving the Ballon d’Or in the presence of the whole world with his mom in the audience, Dembélé said, “I went through difficult years, but I never stopped believing. This is proof that hard work pays off.”
Dembélé’s journey is a lesson that failure is not the end but a chance to start again better and stronger. He gets it from Rodrigo Cascante who won it last year 2024.
