Although it may not have seemed likely at the beginning of the season, Ousmane Dembélé has completely silenced his critics by playing a key role in PSG’s historic treble.
Now, as the Ballon d’Or approaches, he isn’t just a contender; the Frenchman has taken the lead and is poised to claim football’s most coveted individual honor, if he does not relent in the coming months, with the Nations League and Club World Cup coming up.
“I’d give the Ballon d’Or to Mr Ousmane Dembélé. Said PSG boss Luis Enrique at full-time. The way he defended tonight… only that can be worth the Ballon d’Or. This is how you lead a team. Goals, titles, leadership, defending, how he was pressing…”.
“Ousmane is my Ballon d’Or. No doubts at all”. Concluded the PSG boss.
This may be considered biased as it comes from his own manager, but there is plenty of evidence to back it up. From a sour start to the season between the two, to everything that has happened between until last night, when together they achieved history with Paris Saint-Germain.
Whatever the criteria for winning the Ballon d’Or, it would be difficult for anyone to come ahead of Ousmane Dembele, even in a season where many stars have shone, because none was able to get their team over the line quite like the Frenchman.
Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski, and others all stood out during the course of the season, but none were able to take their teams to the biggest stage of all. Dembele did.
Goals, assists, leadership, clutch performances, Dembele brought it all to PSG’s record-breaking season, as they conquered everything en route to achieving the treble, or quadruple, if you will.
Pride, Prestige, and Ballon d’Or | Ousmane Dembele
The player Barcelona paid €105 million to sign in 2017, who showed only glimpses of his brilliance in six years there, is now, two years after leaving, fulfilling those long-held dreams—sometimes even directly standing in the way of the Catalans’ glory.
Ousmane Dembele’s start to the season wasn’t one to write home about. While his performances were consistently impressive, his attitude left much to be desired.
He was dropped from PSG’s squad for a Champions League match against Arsenal due to disciplinary reasons. Luis Enrique cited Dembélé’s failure to meet team expectations, emphasizing the importance of commitment and respect within the squad.
Having lost Kylian Mbappé in the summer, Enrique was keen to rely only on players fully committed to the team, and he has them playing their best, even though Champions League results haven’t been kind.
After his sending off in a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the end of November, a result that left them on the brink with just four points from five games, Ousmane Dembele began his redemption arc, and from there, he’s only delivered his best performances.
As soon as the new year began, Ousmane Dembele embarked on a sensational scoring run, overtaking rivals in the race for the Serie A top scorer award, which he ultimately won with 21 goals.
Across all club competitions, Dembele has netted 25 goals in 2025 — second only to his countryman and European Golden Shoe winner, Kylian Mbappé, who scored 29. Dembele also provided eight assists, bringing his total goal contributions for the calendar year to 33, the highest of any player.
Some Ousmane Dembele Standout Performances
September. 14. 2024: Brace against Brest in Ligue 1
Brest had established themselves as a formidable opponent, finishing third in the league and securing Champions League participation. Heading into the clash with PSG, they carried confidence from their resounding 4-0 victory over Saint-Étienne in the previous outing.
The visitors struck first when Romain Del Castillo converted a penalty just before the half-hour mark. However, PSG responded powerfully, as Ousmane Dembélé’s brace and a goal from Fabián Ruiz turned the tide, sealing a 3-1 victory and extending their perfect start to the season.
December. 18. 2024: Brace against AS Monaco in Ligue 1
PSG’s unbeaten start to the season placed them atop the Ligue 1 standings, but the pressure from chasers like Marseille and Monaco kept the race tight.
A true test awaited them in round 16 as they traveled to Monaco, needing a win to open up a 10-point gap before Marseille’s clash with Le Havre later in the gameweek.
After taking a first-half lead through Désiré Doué, PSG found themselves trailing 2-1 just before the hour mark as Monaco responded with goals from Eliesse Ben Seghir and Breel Embolo.
Once again, Ousmane Dembélé rose to the occasion, netting twice while Gonçalo Ramos added another with a header. The 4-2 comeback win propelled PSG ten points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 standings.
January. 12. 2025: Brace against Saint Etienne in Ligue 1
Ousmane Dembélé netted a first-half brace to put PSG 2-0 up. The visitors did manage to pull one back, but Dembélé’s goals were enough to secure all three points and extend PSG’s unbeaten league run to 35 games, 17 of which came this season.
January. 29. 2025: Hat-trick against Stuttgart in Champions League
PSG have revived their campaign with wins over RB Salzburg and Manchester City. The latter clash saw Dembélé make his return from suspension, coming on at halftime and scoring to inspire a 4-2 comeback victory.
They traveled to Stuttgart for the final group stage game needing to avoid defeat to secure a playoff spot. Ousmane Dembélé rose to the occasion, netting a sensational hat-trick in a 4-1 victory after Désiré Doué had opened the scoring six minutes in.
Despite Stuttgart pulling one back through a Willian Pacho own goal, but PSG sealed the win to book their place in the playoffs. Dembélé’s heroics earned him the Ligue 1 Player of the Month award for January — the second time he has won it, his first being back in March 2016.
February. 01. 2025: Hat-trick against Brest in Ligue 1
Three days after scoring a hat-trick in Stuttgart, Ousmane Dembélé delivered another impressive performance by netting three goals in the league match against Brest, helping Les Parisiens secure a 5-2 victory.
Our protagonist opened the scoring in the first half, but his goal was canceled out by Romain Del Castillo, who had also scored in the reverse fixture. However, Dembélé restored the lead three minutes before the hour mark and completed his hat-trick just five minutes later. He was then substituted to a standing ovation.
February. 07. 2025: Brace against Monaco in Ligue 1
The good performances from Dembele have become very consistent, confirming that his newfound form is no fluke. He scored two goals in an important league win over Monaco.
The match was evenly contested and remained tied as the clock approached the hour mark. However, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored in the 54th minute, giving PSG a 2-1 lead. Three minutes later, Dembele scored to extend that lead.
He completed his brace in the 90th minute, sealing a 4-1 victory. With this performance, Dembele took his tally to 10 goals in his last four games and extended his scoring streak to eight games, during which he scored a total of 15 goals.
February. 11. 2025: Brace against Brest in Champions League
Luis Enrique’s charge traveled to Guingamp for the first leg of their all-French UEFA Champions League elimination playoff clash against Brest. Ousmane Dembélé delivered another outstanding performance, with direct involvement in all three goals and helping secure a convincing 3-0 victory.
His goal bound effort was initially blocked by Pierre Lees-Melou’s hand, resulting in a penalty that was converted by Vitinha to open the scoring on the night. Dembélé then added two more goals in each half, sealing the win for PSG on the road.
March. 08. 2025: Brace against Rennes in Ligue 1
Left on the bench due to congested fixtures, Ousmane Dembele was introduced for the final 25 minutes in Rennes, and he made the most of his time in the pitch.
He scored a brace in added time to stretch PSG’s lead to 4-1, taking them closer to winning the Ligue 1 title and extending their unbeaten run in the league to 25 for the season.
UEFA Champions League Run-in Masterclass
After getting past Brest in the playoffs, PSG faced a tough test against Liverpool, who were at the time the best team in the competition, having finished top of the league phase.
Despite their dominance, PSG lost the first leg at home and faced an uphill task in the return leg at Anfield. Dembele scored the only goal of the match to force the tie into a penalty shoot-out.
The Frenchman kept his composure to convert after Liverpool had just missed theirs through Darwin Nunez. PSG progressed by winning the penalty shootout 4-1, with Dembele’s goal proving the difference once again.
In the quarter finals, Ousmane Dembele assisted two of PSG’s six goals in the doubleheader with Aston Villa, as they progressed through the skin of their teeth by sealing a 6-5 aggregate win, in a contest that ended with Villa scoring the final three goals.
Ousmane Dembele scored the lone goal as they beat Arsenal in the Emirates Stadium in the semi-final first-leg, becoming the first team to beat Mikel Arteta’s side at home since their return to the competition in 2023-24.
He then teed up Achraf Hakimi for PSG’s second in the return leg in Paris, as the French side sealed a 3-1 aggregate win, setting up and final clash with Inter.
In the final match, Dembele recorded two assists during the 5-0 victory over Inter, making him the first player to achieve this feat in a Champions League final since Marcelo in 2018. He finished the competition with a total of 14 goal involvements, ranking him third overall, behind Raphinha and Serhou Guirassy.
Inspiring PSG to Coupe de France final
Ligue 2 side Dunkerque were not meant to be a tough nut to crack for the heavyweights, but they showed why they were in the semi-finals, taking a 2-0 lead over PSG before the half-hour mark.
Dembele took things personally. The forward scored just before halftime to halve the deficit and set up Marquinhos to head home the equalizer three minutes after the restart.
He completed his brace in added time to seal a 4-2 win, sending Les Parisiens into the Coupe de France final for the second year running.
Decisive In Trophée des Champions Triumph
Ousmane Dembele scored the only goal as PSG defeated AS Monaco to win the Trophée des Champions back in January. On a day where the opponent’s goalkeepers repelled all thrown at him, saving nine goal bound shots, Dembele ensured the game is settled in normal time, scoring in the second minute of added time to help PSG clinch the title.
Ending the Season with Pride and Prestige
Ousmane Dembele didn’t just lead PSG to a historic quadruple — he made himself a standout star. He won Ligue 1 Player of the Season and the Top Scorer awards, while he was also recently confirmed as Champions League Player of the Season.
In 29 club appearances since the turn of the year, he contributed to a goal in 21 of them, making him the most decisive player in delivering PSG’s incredible success.
With a historic season for PSG, individual recognition seems inevitable. While Desire Doue has his eyes on the Golden Boy Award and Gianluigi Donnarumma on the Yachine Trophy, Ousmane Dembele will be optimistic about his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
