The busiest Ballon d’Or ceremony in history concluded with Ousmane Dembélé fulfilling the potential that, for so long, had escaped his grasp.
Dembélé’s journey should serve as great inspiration, with the former wunderkind proving that development most certainly isn’t linear. He arrived at Barcelona as a 20-year-old sensation with the grandest of expectations, but departed in his prime having failed miserably to justify Barça’s expensive gamble.
The Frenchman embarked on the finest season of his career at 28, taking on a new role in Paris Saint-Germain’s frontline that functioned as one of the decisive factors in their maiden Champions League success. PSG were outstanding as a collective, but Dembélé was doubtless their main man.
Arguments for an alternative winner were inevitable in the aftermath, but the real crimes committed by voters this year regarded the placements of several nominees lower down the pecking order.
Here are five of the biggest surprises from the men’s 2025 Ballon d’Or.
