This article initially appeared in a print edition of the Hilltop Monitor published on Oct. 6, 2025.
On Monday, Sept. 22, the Ballon d’Or award ceremony, which awards this year’s most accomplished soccer player (men and women being judged separately), took place in Paris. This year’s men’s award went to Ousmane Dembélé, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)’s most accomplished forward.
The 28-year-old Frenchman produced a season that was as decisive as it was spectacular. In 2024–25, Dembélé powered PSG to a historic campaign, winning nearly everything, including the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League title, the most significant club trophy in world football. Individually, he posted a remarkable 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 games, making him one of Europe’s most productive players. In comparison, in 2022 Messi was awarded the Ballon d’Or despite scoring only 21 goals and delivering 16 assists. On paper, his Ballon d’Or seems beyond dispute. Yet, as always, the award ignited debate in the football community. Was Dembélé’s season truly the best? Did someone else deserve it more? These are familiar questions, as the Ballon d’Or has always been both a barometer of excellence and a lightning rod for controversy.
A Legendary Award with Subjective Edges
Part of the Ballon d’Or’s mystique lies in its subjectivity. Like the Oscars for cinema, the award claims to recognize the “best,” but who and what defines “the best” is constantly contested. France Football, the magazine that created and still administers the Ballon d’Or, tries to guide voters with three clear criteria:
- Individual performances: decisiveness and overall impact
- Team performances and achievements: collective success matters
- Class and fair play: professionalism, attitude, and sportsmanship
These criteria deliberately blend quantitative and qualitative factors. Goals and assists matter, but so do intangible traits — leadership, consistency and composure under pressure. This mix is precisely why the Ballon d’Or retains its intrigue. A player can excel statistically yet still be edged out by someone whose trophies carry more weight.
Do Individual or Collective Stats Win a Ballon d’Or?
The assumption that “most goals + most trophies = Ballon d’Or” oversimplifies the picture. Certainly, scoring records and silverware have historically boosted a candidate’s odds. But the award often prioritizes the type of trophy over sheer quantity. Since 2005, 15 of the 20 Ballon d’Or winners have captured a major title (Champions League, European Championship, or World Cup) in the same year they lifted the award. In other words, winning the biggest competitions at the highest level often tips the scales.
Dembélé checks both boxes. Not only did he lead his team in decisive personal contributions (goals and assists) he also helped PSG to the sport’s ultimate club prize: the UEFA Champions League. It is this blend of individual decisiveness and historic collective success that made his 2024–25 campaign irresistible to voters.
Is the Award Reserved for Forwards?
A frequent criticism of the Ballon d’Or is that it overwhelmingly favors attacking positions. Over the past two decades, forwards and attacking midfielders have dominated the award, winning 15 out of the last 20 years. Yet this hasn’t always been the case. Prior to 2000, defenders like Franz Beckenbauer and Fabio Cannavaro won the trophy, proving that elite defending can be as decisive as goalscoring in the eyes of voters.
Nevertheless, the shift reflects football’s evolution. Modern voters favor players who produce direct goal contributions because these are easy to quantify. Players like Achraf Hakimi — who excel as fullbacks but also deliver phenomenal offensive stats — embody a hybrid player that could eventually break the forward monopoly again. But for now, the award’s bias toward attackers remains pronounced.
Best Player vs. Best Season
One final major tension surrounds the Ballon d’Or: should it reward the “best player” overall or the “best season”? Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or even in years when another player arguably had a stronger single campaign, simply because their sustained brilliance redefined the sport.
Dembélé’s 2025 victory aligns both sides of that debate. He wasn’t merely a good player having a great year or an all-time great winning on sheer reputation; he was a world-class talent whose season reached a historic peak. His contributions weren’t empty numbers but decisive interventions in the most important games. In that sense, he represents the rare case where the award honors both an elite player and a truly unmatched season.
Why Dembélé’s 2025 Ballon d’Or Was Undeniable
In combining elite statistics, the sport’s biggest club trophy, and match-winning moments, Ousmane Dembélé embodied the very criteria France Football laid out decades ago. His campaign stood at the intersection of individual mastery and collective achievement, the precise sweet spot Ballon d’Or voters are supposed to reward.
For once, the conversation about who “deserved” the Ballon d’Or may be shorter than usual. Dembélé’s 2024–25 season wasn’t just a personal triumph; it was the fulfillment of his immense promise and a historic milestone for PSG.