Dembele beats Yamal to Ballon d’Or, Bonmati completes hat-trick

Dembele, 28, edged out Barcelona sensation Yamal to succeed Man City and Spain midfielder Rodri, who took the trophy in 2024

- Agencies

Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembele won the Ballon d'Or on Monday as a reward for his starring role in the club's Champions League triumph last season, while Spain’s Aitana Bonmati claimed the women’s prize for the third year ina row.

Dembele, 28, edged out Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal to succeed Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, who took the trophy in 2024, as the winner of the most prestigious individual prize in football -- an award that for many years had been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona forward Dem-bele, who was part of the France team that won the World Cup in 2018, scored 35 goals in all competitions as PSG claimed a French league and cup double as well as winning the Champions League.

With Dembele converted into a centre-forward following Kylian Mbappe's departure for Real Madrid, PSG went on to hammer Inter Milan 5-0 in the final in Munich to win the European Cup for the first time in their history.

“I really don’t have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG,” an emotional Dembele said on the stage at the Theatre du Chatelet in central Paris.