French international and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Ousmane Dembélé claimed the 2025 Men's Ballon d'Or, and he later delivered an acceptance speech at the Paris Opera House.
"Good evening, everyone. Thank you. What just happened is truly incredible—I’m almost lost for words.
I’ve had an amazing season at Paris Saint-Germain. I’ve experienced so many wonderful things, but there were also moments of nervousness; it wasn’t an easy journey.
Winning this trophy, with Ronaldinho presenting it to me in person, is really something special. I want to thank Paris Saint-Germain for signing me back in 2023. Thank you to the president, the entire team, and the club—it’s such a wonderful family.
The president has been extremely kind to me right from day one.
I also want to thank all the staff at PSG; they’re fantastic. Luis Enrique… he’s like a father to me now. He’s been crucial to my career, and even though my career is still ongoing, Enrique has played an incredibly important role in my development.
Thank you to all my teammates. We gave almost everything we had. You’ve been by my side the whole time—we raised our level together and won collective trophies. This is an individual award, but we brought it home as a team.
Thank you to every team I’ve played for: Rennes, Borussia Dortmund, and Barcelona—the club I’d always dreamed of joining. It was at Barcelona that I got to learn alongside players like Messi and Iniesta.
That was such a fantastic learning experience. I’m thrilled. When I look at the list of legendary players who have won this award… I’ve helped my team win the Champions League, Ligue 1… being able to lift this trophy is absolutely amazing. I’m over the moon.
Thank you to all the young players in the French national team, and also to the U21 national team and everyone who has supported me along the way. Thank you to the coaches who always reminded me that I had what it takes to play for the national team. I want to thank all the coaches, especially the current national team manager Didier Deschamps. I hope we can win the next World Cup.
I want to thank my family, especially my mother. They’ve always been with me and supported me through my toughest times. I want to thank my agent for believing in me. If someone had told me back then that I would win the Ballon d’Or…
And I want to thank my closest friend of the past four or five years. We’ve been through everything together. No matter where I go, you’re always by my side, and we’ll stay together until the very end."
