Dembélé Crowned 2025 Ballon d’Or Winner After Stellar Season With PSG

Ousmane Dembé’s long and often turbulent journey in football has reached its peak. The Paris Saint-Germain and France forward was crowned the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or winner on Monday night in Paris, sealing his status as the world’s best player after years of battling injuries and doubts.

At 28, Dembélé becomes the sixth Frenchman to claim football’s most prestigious individual honour, following in the footsteps of Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini (three-time winner), Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema.

His triumph comes on the back of a historic campaign with Paris Saint-Germain, where he played a decisive role in their first-ever UEFA Champions League title. Dembélé racked up over 30 goals and 15 assists across all competitions, consistently producing match-winning displays, including a dazzling performance in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.

In the final voting, Dembélé edged Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, who finished second, and PSG teammate Vitinha, who came third. He is also the first PSG player to win the award since Lionel Messi in 2023.

Visibly emotional during his acceptance speech, Dembélé dedicated the award to his family, the club’s medical staff, and fans who supported him throughout his injury-plagued years.

 “There were times I doubted if I could return to this level,” he admitted. “But I never gave up. This award proves that hard work and faith can turn dreams into reality.”

For PSG, the accolade underscores their rise as a dominant force in European football. For Dembélé, it marks redemption — a career once defined by setbacks now celebrated for greatness.

Liverpool Football Club has announced it will retire the number 20 shirt in tribute to forward Diogo Jota, who tragically died in a car accident alongside his brother, André Silva.

The decision, made after consultation with Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, and his family, means the Portuguese international will “forever be Liverpool’s number 20.” The club confirmed the number will be retired at all levels, including the women’s team and academy sides.

In an official statement, Liverpool said the gesture not only reflects Jota’s significant on-field contributions since joining from Wolves in 2020 but also honours the lasting bonds he created with teammates, staff, and fans.

Jota made 182 appearances for the Reds, scoring 65 goals and playing a key role in multiple trophy wins. He helped Liverpool claim the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022, another League Cup title in 2024, and most recently, their 20th top-flight league title in the 2024/25 season. The club marked his legacy with a poignant social media video at 20:20 BST on Friday, captioned “Forever our number 20.”

Michael Edwards, Chief Executive of Football for Fenway Sports Group, said:

“This is the first time in the club’s history such an honour has been given to an individual. Retiring his shirt number is our way of making his legacy eternal. We involved Rute and the family from the start—it was essential they were at the heart of this decision.”

Jota, 28, and his brother were killed in the early hours of Thursday, July 3, after their Lamborghini suffered a tyre blowout while overtaking, causing the vehicle to veer off the road. He was travelling back to Liverpool for pre-season by car and ferry, following medical advice not to fly due to recent minor surgery.

Their funeral took place last Saturday in their hometown of Gondomar, Portugal, with a large Liverpool delegation present.

On Friday, Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso, who had married the player just 11 days before the crash, visited Anfield with their three children to view the memorials left by fans. She was accompanied by Liverpool players, manager Arne Slot, and other staff as they paid their respects.

Liverpool will return to action on Sunday in a pre-season match against Preston North End at Deepdale. A minute’s silence and other tributes are planned to honour both Diogo Jota and André Silva.

Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala has spoken out following the horrific injury he sustained during Bayern’s Club World Cup quarterfinal clash against Paris Saint-Germain, saying “no one is to blame” for the incident.

The 22-year-old Germany international suffered a fractured fibula along with a broken and dislocated ankle after a heavy collision with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma just before halftime. Musiala was stretchered off the pitch and later flown from Atlanta back to Munich, where he underwent successful surgery. He is expected to be sidelined for several months, missing the start of the upcoming season.

Despite the seriousness of the injury, Musiala took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a calm and positive message.

“The surgery went really well, I’m in good care and I wanted to say there’s no one to blame for this,” he wrote. “I think situations like this happen and now I’m just going to use the next period of time to build up my strength and positivity again.”

However, others in the Bayern camp were less forgiving. Club captain Manuel Neuer criticized Donnarumma, accusing the Italian keeper of recklessness.

“He’s willing to accept the risk of injuring his opponent,” Neuer said.

Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl echoed those concerns, saying, “There’s a big danger something can happen when a goalkeeper jumps in like that. The action was not without risk.”

Still, the club is rallying behind Musiala in his recovery.

“This serious injury and the lengthy lay-off are a real shock for Jamal and all of us,” Eberl said. “Jamal has just come back from an injury and will now be out for another long period. He’ll get everything he needs from us. We’ll support him intensively and already look forward to when he’s back on the pitch.”