Ousmane Dembelé had already won the Ballon d’Or at the end of September. Now the PSG striker has also been named FIFA World Footballer of the Year 2025.
Once again, the winner is Ousmane Dembelé. The 28-year-old was also named FIFA’s best player of 2025. At a gala dinner in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday evening, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented the trophy to the Paris Saint-Germain forward. Unlike at the more prestigious Ballon d’Or, Dembelé did not shed tears of joy this time. He gave a short speech with words of thanks at a FIFA event that, compared to the World Cup draw two weeks ago, was rushed through.
Lamine Yamal and Mbappé beaten again
As with the Ballon d’Or, Dembelé beat his main rival, Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona, who had also been considered a strong contender. Kylian Mbappé also made it onto the podium. Harry Kane of FC Bayern Munich was also nominated, but had no real chance of winning. Last year, Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior won the trophy, but this time he did not even make the 11-man shortlist.
With his club Paris Saint-Germain, Dembelé won pretty much everything last season, with the French club also winning the Champions League for the first time. The top scorer in Ligue 1 last season played a decisive role in this, also impressing in the Champions League with eight goals and six assists.
Only in the Club World Cup did PSG and Dembelé have to settle for second place, with Chelsea FC coming out on top in the final. The next title is already beckoning this Wednesday: in Al-Rayyan, Qatar, they will face Flamengo from Brazil for the Intercontinental Cup, the successor to the “old” Club World Cup.
“I hope I can come back next year”
Fans, the current captains and coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams, and selected media representatives took part in the vote. Georg Holzner voted for Dembelé, Vitinha, and Nuno Mendes.
The world governing body has been honoring the FIFA World Player of the Year since 1991. Between 2010 and 2015, FIFA and the newspaper France Football, which launched the Ballon d’Or in 1956, cooperated and awarded only one prize together as the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
In any case, Dembelé has got a taste for it. “I hope I can come back next year,” he said on Tuesday in Doha.
