The FIFA Best ceremony has taken place, with Ousmane Dembele winning the men’s award after an outstanding season with Paris Saint-Germain in which they won the Champions League.
Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele has been named the FIFA Best men’s player for 2025, beating fellow nominees Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. The win sees Dembele, 28, cap off an incredible year during which he won Ligue 1, the Champions League and the Coupe de France with PSG.
The Frenchman also helped Luis Enrique’s side reach the final of the Club World Cup in July before winning the UEFA Super Cup this season. Dembele’s efforts were enough to secure him his first ever Ballon d’Or in October, the most coveted individual award in football.
At Tuesday’s FIFA ceremony in Doha, Qatar, Dembele claimed another. The three nominees were firstly confirmed to be Dembele, Mbappe and Yamal.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced the winner, as Dembele was invited on stage. Voting for was the period between August 11, 2024 and August 2, 2025.
During that period, the France international scored 35 goals and provided 14 assists for PSG. Dembele was unable to help his country win the Nations League in the summer, as he and Mbappe lost in the semi-finals to Spain.
PSG are currently in Qatar preparing for a match on Wednesday, facing Brazilian giants Flamengo in the inaugural Intercontinental Cup Final. The fixture meant that unlike Yamal and Mbappe, Dembele was present at the ceremony and gave a speech on stage in French.
“I want to thank my team-mates” the 28-year-old said with the award in hand. “Hard work pays off, it’s been a fantastic year for me, both individually and collectively.”
Dembele’s manager won the Best men’s coach award while the women’s version went to England boss Sarina Wiegman after leading the Lionesses to glory at the European Championship once again.
