{"id":11884,"date":"2025-09-21T14:18:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T14:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=11884"},"modified":"2025-09-21T14:18:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T14:18:05","slug":"ousmane-dembele-ballon-dor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/ousmane-dembele-ballon-dor","title":{"rendered":"Why Ousmane Dembele deserves the Ballon d&#8217;Or"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Ballon d\u2019Or award can be simplified by a few things. Who delivered on the biggest European nights? Who changed the geometry of games every time they received the ball? Who turned a talented team into a trophy machine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On all three counts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/ousmane-dembele-39779\">Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9<\/a> has the strongest case. He was the live wire and the metronome for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/psg-480\">Paris Saint-Germain<\/a> in a season that ended with a clean sweep at home and the club\u2019s first European crown. Add the individual honours that tend to follow a truly dominant campaign, and you have a profile that looks less like a campaign pitch and more like the minutes of a certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Dembele&#8217;s Ballon d&#8217;Or Credentials<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#europe-decided-it\">Europe decided it<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-treble-context-matters\">The treble context matters<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#big-games-bigger-answers\">Big games, bigger answers<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#domestic-dominance-is-part-of-the-brief\">Domestic dominance is part of the brief<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-eye-test-meets-the-data\">The eye test meets the data<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-leadership-arc\">The leadership arc<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-competition-and-why-he-edges-it\">The competition, and why he edges it<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#lamine-yamals-time-will-come\">Lamine Yamal\u2019s time will come<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-present-does-not-punish-the-past\">The present does not punish the past<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"europe-decided-it\">Europe decided it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ballon d\u2019Or debates are often settled by what happens in Europe. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 was named <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/league\/uefa-champions-league-572\">UEFA Champions League<\/a> Player of the Season for 2024\u201325, recognition from the tournament\u2019s technical panel that he set the tone across the continent\u2019s hardest minutes. PSG\u2019s 5\u20130 win over Inter in Munich was the exclamation point on a run where Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s speed, timing and decision making repeatedly ripped open defences that had spent a week plotting to stop him. He scored 8 Champions League goals, many in knockout rounds, and chipped in with crucial assists that altered ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Ballon d&#8217;Or is calling&#8230; and Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 is answering with greatness. \ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf5<br \/>5 titles. Countless moments of magic. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 isn\u2019t chasing the Ballon d&#8217;Or \u2014 it\u2019s chasing him. \ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/stSXUTPNLi\">pic.twitter.com\/stSXUTPNLi<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/365Scores\/status\/1955966167757062408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 14, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-treble-context-matters\">The treble context matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Context matters in these votes. PSG did not just win in Europe. They wrapped up Ligue 1 with weeks to spare and added the Coupe de France, building a treble that no French club had previously achieved. They even claimed the Troph\u00e9e des Champions and opened 2025 by lifting the UEFA Super Cup. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s fingerprints were everywhere: 49 appearances, 33 goals and 13 assists across all competitions. Those numbers alone would put him in the conversation, but married to the trophies, they form a near-perfect r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have always known about the tools. Two-footed dribbling, acceleration in tight lanes, the self-belief to take the ball in crowded corridors. What 2024\u201325 added was relentless availability and repeatable end product. He was PSG\u2019s outlet when they needed to break pressure, the chance creator when opponents camped in, and the runner in behind when the game tilted. His 21 Ligue 1 goals and six assists in just 29 league appearances turned the domestic title race into a procession. Even when he did not score, the gravity he created turned defenders and freed lanes for runners to hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Ousmane Dembele is the CLEAR favorite for the Ballon d&#8217;Or, almost 3 times more than 2nd-ranked Lamine Yamal \ud83e\udd2f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/arxd12NWAE\">pic.twitter.com\/arxd12NWAE<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/365Scores\/status\/1929811796006674559?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 3, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"big-games-bigger-answers\">Big games, bigger answers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When voters recall this campaign, they will land on the matches that shape legacies. The way PSG controlled pace in knockout rounds. The way Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 forced full-backs to make bad choices at the worst moments. The semi-final tie that turned on single actions where his first touch and body shape sold one story, then his second touch wrote another. It was not just sizzle. It was structure. He gave Luis Enrique\u2019s side a release valve and a scalpel in the same body, which is a rare thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"domestic-dominance-is-part-of-the-brief\">Domestic dominance is part of the brief<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ballon d\u2019Or winners are not crowned on six or seven nights alone. Ligue 1 became proof of concept. PSG\u2019s lead at the top, clinched with time to spare, told you about consistency. So did the way Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s form aligned with the club\u2019s surge through winter and spring. That rhythm was recognised at season\u2019s end when he was named Ligue 1\u2019s Player of the Year and included in the Team of the Year. Those accolades usually tip close races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"504\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2204953765-1024x504.jpg\" alt=\"Ballon d'Or loading - PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 16: Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint - Germain celebrates after a score during the French Ligue 1 (L1) soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France on March 16, 2025. \" class=\"wp-image-11085\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Mustafa Yalcin\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-eye-test-meets-the-data\">The eye test meets the data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For all the romance of a slaloming run, the numbers endorse the eye test. Across league and Europe, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 stacked up goal contributions and progressive actions that show up in any model trying to quantify threat. Champions League Player of the Season is one form of measurement. The treble is another. When your fingerprints are on the decisive entries in the biggest matches of the season, analytics and honours tend to agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At his best, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 is a tactical problem that multiplies. He can start on the right and still threaten the left-side half space within two touches because he is comfortable finishing with either foot. He is one of the few wide forwards who can carry through the first line of pressure and then pick the disguised pass at the end of the action. Opponents who tried to double him often paid elsewhere, because the extra centre-back stepping out opened the cutback lanes PSG love to attack. In a season where Paris looked more balanced than at any point in the past decade, his profile sat at the heart of the game plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">33 goals and 15 assists in 49 games across all competitions<br \/><br \/>Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 has his best season EVER \ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/f4GVM7BUeR\">pic.twitter.com\/f4GVM7BUeR<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/365Scores\/status\/1929161931295711674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 1, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-leadership-arc\">The leadership arc<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also a maturity to how he played. This was not a season of heat-check dribbles for their own sake. It was one of choosing the right moments. The best wingers grow into tempo setters. They understand when the match needs a carry and when it needs circulation, when to stand up a full-back and when to bounce a one-two and sprint through the channel. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 lived in that space all year for PSG. That is leadership in a side full of options, and it tends to be what separates very good seasons from Ballon d\u2019Or seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"670\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2198951800-2-1024x670.jpg\" alt=\"BREST, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 11: Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024\/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg match between Stade Brestois 29 and Paris Saint-Germain at Stade de Roudourou on February 11, 2025 in Guingamp, France. \" class=\"wp-image-9283\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Franco Arland &#8211; UEFA\/UEFA via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-competition-and-why-he-edges-it\">The competition, and why he edges it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a competitive ballot. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/lamine-yamal-131182\">Lamine Yamal<\/a> has a case that would win many years. Others have stacked headline numbers or led domestic charges. What makes Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s argument stronger is that he married the biggest trophy in club football with the best-player award in that competition, then paired that with domestic honours. Voters have long rewarded that blend. If you ask the simple question of who was the most influential player on the best team across the highest-leverage games, you land in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2212338922-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"YAMAL will be absent from the UCL match against Newcastle\" class=\"wp-image-10554\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Nicol\u00f2 Campo\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"lamine-yamals-time-will-come\">Lamine Yamal\u2019s time will come<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Lamine Yamal is the closest challenger. He was the catalytic force of Barcelona\u2019s title run and carried that form into Spain\u2019s Euro triumph, collecting the Young Player of the Tournament and becoming one of the youngest champions in history. At 17 turning 18, he already bends games to his will with a calmness that belies his age. If this vote goes another way, it will be because enough jurors want to crown the sport\u2019s next decade early. That would be understandable but premature. Yamal looks like a multiple Ballon d\u2019Or winner in waiting, and this season places him as a very close second. The hierarchy, for now, should still reflect who owned Europe last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-present-does-not-punish-the-past\">The present does not punish the past<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If anyone worries about recency, there is no need. The ceremony arrives tomorrow, and nothing in the opening weeks of the new season should blur what happened from August to June. PSG have already begun a credible title defence in Europe. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s current injury does not rewrite last season\u2019s excellence, it simply pauses the highlight reel. Ballots reward completed work, and his dossier is complete in a way few others can match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>By Nicky Helfgott &#8211; <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NickyHelfgott1\"><em>NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter<\/em>)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep up with all the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\">latest football news<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/league\/premier-league-7\/news\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/league\/premier-league-7\/news\"> Premier League news<\/a> on 365Scores!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Ballon d\u2019Or award can be simplified by a few things. Who delivered on the biggest European nights? Who changed the geometry of games every time they received the ball? Who turned a talented team into a trophy machine? On all three counts, Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 has the strongest case. He was the live wire and &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":11890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2509,9],"tags":[3304,4013,1287,4014,4011,719,316,1952,60,314,4015,4012,3890],"class_list":["post-11884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-champions-league","category-soccer","tag-ballon-dor-2025","tag-champions-league-player-of-the-season","tag-lamine-yamal","tag-ligue-1-2024-25","tag-ligue-1-player-of-the-year","tag-mohamed-salah","tag-ousmane-dembele","tag-paris-saint-germain","tag-psg","tag-raphinha","tag-trophee-des-champions","tag-uefa-champions-league-2025","tag-uefa-super-cup-2025","article_type-discover","entity_type-athlete","entity_type-competition","inspiration-365s-articles","inspiration-relevancy-trending"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11884"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11901,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11884\/revisions\/11901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}