Who is Ousmane Dembélé? The 2025 Ballon d’Or Winner

Ousmane Dembélé is a French professional footballer who is well-known for his scorching pace, brilliant dribbling skills, and ability to play on both feet. He is a dynamic winger who has represented some of Europe’s top clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain. Dembélé is also a World Cup winner for France and the 2025 Ballon d’Or, making him one of the most decorated players of his generation.

Who is Ousmane Dembélé?

Ousmane Dembélé was born on May 15, 1997, in Évreux, a modest hamlet in Normandy, France. His quest to be the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner began in humble settings. Dembélé grew up in a close-knit family with Mauritanian and Senegalese backgrounds, so he was accustomed to hard labor and tenacity.

His mother, Fatimata, was instrumental in developing his love of football while keeping him grounded. Can you envision a young Ousmane, scarcely taller than the ball, navigating between older players on dusty fields? That’s where the magic began.

Career

On May 17, 2018, Dembélé was named to the 23-man French squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On July 15, he was an unused replacement as France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the final. Dembélé was called up to the French squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he participated in every game as France placed second.

Dembélé began the final, but conceded a penalty in the first half and was replaced in the 41st minute. Dembélé scored a goal in France’s 14-0 victory over Gibraltar during UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying on November 18, 2023, the greatest win in the team’s history. At the final tournament in Germany, he was chosen man of the match in France’s quarter-final win over Portugal.

He made his senior debut for Rennes’ reserve team in the Championnat de France Amateur on September 6, 2014, as a 78th-minute substitute for Zana Allé. He effectively set up Alseny Kourouma for the second goal in a 2-0 home win over Guingamp’s reserves. On November 9, he scored his first career goal when coming off the bench at the Stade de la Piverdière, this time against Laval’s reserves.

In his first season, he scored 13 goals in 18 games, including a hat trick against Hérouville on May 16, 2015, for a 6-1 win. Dembélé signed a five-year contract with German club Borussia Dortmund on May 12, 2016, which will take effect on July 1. On August 14, he made his DFL-Supercup debut, losing 2-0 against Bayern Munich.

He scored his first goal for Dortmund on September 20th, in a 5-1 Bundesliga victory over VfL Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena. On November 22, he scored his first Champions League goal, as the German team thrashed Legia Warsaw 8-4 in a group stage match. Dembélé helped Dortmund reach the 2017 DFB-Pokal Final by assisting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s equaliser in the 69th minute and scoring the winning goal in the 74th minute.

On May 27, in the decisive match against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Berlin Olympiastadion, he scored the first goal of Dortmund’s 2-1 triumph, securing their first major trophy in five years. Dembélé was eventually chosen man of the match.

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Dembélé was named Bundesliga Team of the Season and Rookie of the Season after scoring six goals and assisting 13 times in 2016-17. Dembélé signed a contract with Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain that would last until June 2028 for €50.4 million on August 12, 2023. He was initially handed the number 23 shirt, but once Neymar left the team, he switched to the number 10.

Dembélé made his PSG debut on August 20, coming on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw away to Toulouse. On September 24, he scored his first goal for PSG, assisting Gonçalo Ramos in a 4-0 Le Classique triumph over Marseille. Dembélé scored his first goal for the club on November 24 in a 5-2 home victory over Monaco. On April 10, 2024, he scored his first Champions League goal for PSG in a 3-2 home loss to his previous club, Barcelona, in the quarter-final first leg.

Six days later, in the second leg, he scored PSG’s opening goal in a 4-1 away win, securing his club’s semi-final spot and earning player of the match honors. Dembélé finished the 2023-24 season with PSG as Ligue 1 champion. He also scored the first goal in PSG’s 2-1 victory over Lyon in the 2024 Coupe de France Final.

Dembélé won the Champions League on May 31, 2025, when PSG defeated Inter Milan 5-0 in the final, in which he assisted twice. After the final, his season statistics were 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 games across all competitions, putting him as one of the main candidates for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

Dembélé missed the group stage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup due to injury, but scored a goal in a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and a goal and an assist in a 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the semifinals. PSG eventually finished second after losing 3-0 to Chelsea in the final. Dembélé won the UEFA Super Cup with Paris Saint-Germain on August 13, 2025, scoring in a 4-3 penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

His stoppage-time assist for Gonçalo Ramos’ header, as well as his successful penalty in the shoot-out, helped him win Player of the Match. Dembélé scored his first two goals of the season, both from penalties, in a 6-3 victory over Toulouse on August 30, 2025. Dembélé had a hamstring injury while on international duty in early September 2025, forcing him to miss six weeks of activity. In the same month, he won the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

Personal life

Dembele is a practicing Muslim. In December 2021, he married a Moroccan woman in France, performing a traditional Moroccan wedding. They have a daughter, born in September 2022.

Ousmane Dembélé Net Worth

Ousmane Dembélé’s net worth is expected to reach $35 million by 2025, thanks to record-breaking transfer agreements, an annual salary of $18 million at Paris Saint-Germain, and lucrative endorsement deals with brands such as Adidas. The French forward, dubbed the “new Cristiano Ronaldo” during his adolescent years at Rennes, is now the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, having guided PSG to a historic triple and their first Champions League victory.