Dembélé, the new king of football

The 2025 Ballon d’Or crowned Ousmane Dembélé as the best player in the world after a spectacular season with PSG. The Frenchman lifted the Champions League, Ligue 1, French Cup and French Super Cup, while scoring 35 goals and adding 16 assists. Numbers that finally established him as the undisputed leader he had long been expected to become. 

The vote confirmed what many anticipated: Dembélé’s maturity placed him above everyone else, even one of the brightest young stars on the planet.

Yamal, the big loser of the night

On the other side stood Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old prodigy who dreamed of becoming the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in history. His silence after the ceremony reflected the blow of hearing Dembélé’s name instead of his.

Although he was recognized with the 2025 Kopa Trophy as the world’s best young player, Yamal had prepared a private celebration in Paris with family and friends that never came to be. His defeat left a bittersweet taste: a secure future, but still without the ultimate glory.

The Champions League twist

What the Ballon d’Or separated, the Champions League will bring back together. On October 1, Yamal’s Barcelona will visit Dembélé’s PSG in the second matchday of the continental tournament.

It will be a clash loaded with intrigue: the new Ballon d’Or holder against the player many believe is destined to dominate the next decade. Paris will once again set the stage for their story, only this time on the pitch, with the ball rolling and the chance to prove who truly deserves the throne.