Ousmane Dembele's ascendency from unfulfilled potential to unrivalled performer was recognised on Monday when he was crowned the Men's Ballon d'Or winner.
It was the culmination of a journey that has seen the French forward be a bit-part in several star-studded teams without being its standout. A World Cup winner with France, a collector of medals in Germany, Spain and at home. Always in the team photo, but with the focus always on other teammates.
That the Frenchman possessed the potential to be the world's best player was never a conversation. Dembele even conceded in his acceptance speech that the Ballon d'Or "has not really been an objective for me in my career". Talented, yes, that much was obvious from his early days at Rennes and Borussia Dortmund. Better than the rest though?
His former coach at Barcelona, Xavi, said that, if used properly, Dembele could be the best player in the world. Though no doubt meant as words of encouragement, there were undercurrents. A trope of Dembele's career is that he lacked the desire and discipline to make full use of his potential. At that point, in 2021, Xavi was probably right.
Those doubts were put to bed in 2024/25. It's easy to think of Paris Saint-Germain as the perfect, well-oiled machine it is now, given all that has been achieved, but that wasn't the feeling at the start of last season.
Kylian Mbappe, the club's record goalscorer, had just been sold to Real Madrid. The player the Parisians had put their faith in had deserted them, dismayed by the PSG project that promised so much but could never deliver the one piece of silverware most coveted – the European Cup.
Mbappe's departure marked the end of PSG's gilded project. The turn to youth can be misleading and exaggerated: PSG spent plenty of money signing the best young talent rather than rolling it straight off the production line. Dembele was on the books but peripheral, an afterthought, a star that faded before it had been given a chance to shine. Most usually do when they enter Mbappe's orbit, swallowed up by his gravitational force. With Mbappe in the team, Dembele was shunted to the right wing. He now has a central attacking role, a false nine able to roam and be more involved in the buildup.
The game that defined his new role was also the one that defined the new PSG era. Never has a European Cup final been so utterly one-sided as PSG's 5-0 dismantling of Inter Milan in last season's showpiece.
The press was oppressive, Inter choked into submission before they could get going. Leading the charge was Dembele. Every time Inter tried to take a goal kick the first sight Yann Sommer or his centre-backs saw was of Dembele poised on the 18-yard line waiting to be unleashed. Inter's defence were terrified to touch the ball lest they unleash the tiger. Hitting the ball long never seemed so attractive.
It's easy to forget Demeble wasn't even one of PSG's five goalscorers that night, but his contribution was just as telling. PSG had their new talisman. Potential had made way for potency.
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Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele, right, celebrates lifting the Men's Ballon d'Or trophy next to former Brazil international Ronaldinho at the Ballon d'Or 2025 ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. EPA -
Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the Women's Ballon d'Or for a third year in a row. AFP -
Ousmane Dembele and Aitana Bonmati pose for a selfie alongside former Netherlands footballer Ruud Gullit. AFP -
England women's national team coach Sarina Wiegman speaks after receiving the Women's Coach of the Year at the 2025 Ballon d'Or award ceremony. AFP -
Manchester City's Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Men's Yashin Trophy. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique appears on screen as he receives the Men's Coach of the Year award. EPA -
Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Vicky Lopez speaks after receiving the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player. AFP -
England's Hannah Hampton picked up the Women's Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper. AFP -
“I really don't have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG,” an emotional Ousmane Dembele said on the stage at the Theatre du Chatelet in central Paris. AFP -
The winners on stage with their awards. EPA -
Barcelona's Vicky Lopez makes a speech after winning the women's Kopa Trophy. Reuters -
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Ousmane Dembele celebrates with supporters after receiving the Ballon d'Or award. AFP
Mbappe's departure was PSG and Dembele's big bang moment. A new universe was created, the cosmos concentrated on the collective, not the individual. PSG are champions of Europe, Dembele the world's best player. Mbappe won nothing of note at Real Madrid in his first season. He wasn't even a consideration for the Ballon d'Or.
Dembele's 2024/25 was, to use football parlance, a game of two halves. Only eight goals were scored before Christmas, 27 after. By comparison, Mohamed Salah's brace against Tottenham on December 22 were his 14th and 15th league goals of the season, making the Liverpool forward the first player to reach double digits in both goals and assists before Christmas. Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal had scored six (one in the Champions League, five in La Liga).
Dembele's 51 goal involvements were more than twice his previous best in a single campaign; his 35 goals were 21 more than he had managed before. Dembele helped PSG win a Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Champions League treble, before also reaching the final of the Club World Cup.
On Monday, Dembele saw off Salah, saw off Yamal, saw off the rest of his PSG teammates. He rewarded the faith shown in him by Luis Enrique, his PSG coach he described as a father figure.
More importantly, he stepped out of Mbappe's shadow.
