The 28-year-old France forward scored 35 goals and made 14 assists in 53 matches for PSG last season as they won the Champions League, league title and the French Cup.

He was the joint top scorer in Ligue 1, with 21 goals, and named the French top flight and Champions League player of the year.

And he also helped PSG to the Club World Cup final where they lost to Chelsea in New Jersey.

Dembele, who beat Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal to the award, was able to attend the ceremony in Paris – and was in tears as he stood on the stage – despite the fact his team were playing on Monday evening.

The forward is currently sidelined through injury, meaning he missed PSG’s 1-0 defeat away to Marseille in a game which was rearranged because of a storm.

“What I have just experienced is exceptional, I have no words for it, what happened with PSG,” said an emotional Dembele, whose mother joined him on the stage.

“I feel a bit of stress, it’s not easy to win this trophy, and to have it presented to me by Ronaldinho, a legend of football, is exceptional.

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“I want to thank PSG who came to get me in 2023. It’s an incredible family. The president Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] is like a father to me. I also want to thank all the staff and the coach, who have been exceptional with me – he too is like a father – and all my team-mates.

“We have practically won everything together. You supported me in the good and the difficult times. This individual trophy is one the team has won collectively.”

It caps off a sensational career revival for a player who had not scored double figures in a league campaign season since he was a teenager at Rennes.

PSG manager Luis Enrique – who was named coach of the year – deserves huge credit for Dembele’s award because of a tactical switch in mid-December.

He moved Dembele from a wide right to centre-forward role against Lyon on 15 December, by which stage he had only scored five goals.

He hit 30 goals for PSG from that date onwards.

Dembele has finally shown the quality that persuaded Barcelona to pay an initial £96.8m, potentially rising to £135.5m, to sign him from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.

However PSG – who were named team of the year at the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards – were the team who got the bargain by recruiting him for just £43.5m in 2023.

Dembele also scored twice in seven caps for France in 2024-25.

He is the sixth Frenchman to win the award and only the second of the 21st century after Karim Benzema in 2022.

Lamine Yamal, 18, finished second – and also won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player.

Five of the top 10 players were part of the PSG team last season including Vitinha (third), Achraf Hakimi (sixth), Gianluigi Donnarumma (ninth) and Nuno Mendes (10th).

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was fourth and Chelsea and England’s Cole Palmer finished eighth.

Last year’s winner, Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, did not make the shortlist this time after an injury-hit campaign.

Source: BBC

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