“You have always been there for me, mama” - Ousmane Dembele bursts into tears during emotional speech after winning 2025 Ballon d’Or

Ousmane Dembele was reduced to tears as he gave an emotional speech about his mother after being crowned the winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or. The Paris Saint-Germain star pipped Barcelona's Lamine Yamal to the prestigious accolade on Monday, September 22.

Dembele was one of the frontrunners for the award after enjoying a remarkable 2024-25 season with PSG. The Frenchman was arguably the club's best player, registering 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 games as Luis Enrique's team clinched an unprecedented quadruple.

After he was named the winner of this year's Ballon d’Or, Dembele burst into tears during an emotional speech about his mother. He appreciated her for always being by his side, saying (via SportBible):

"To my mother, I want to thank you. You have always been there for me, mama."

Dembele then invited his mother to the stage so that they could share his big moment.

Ousame Demebele becomes the second PSG player to win the Ballon d’Or after Lionel Messi in 2021. He is the sixth French player to win the trophy, following in the footsteps of Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini (1983, 1984,1985), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991), Zinedine Zidane (1998), and Karim Benzema (2022).

"What I have just experienced is exceptional" - Ousmane Dembele on winning 2025 Ballon d’Or

Ousmane Dembele described winning the Ballon d’Or as an exceptional feeling in an emotional night at the Théâtre du Chatelet. After being named the winner of the prestigious accolade, the Paris Saint-Germain star was handed the Golden Ball by legendary Brazilian star and former winner Ronaldinho.

In his speech, Dembele said that being crowned the best player in the world was an exceptional achievement. He described club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and manager Luis Enrique as father figures and thanked his teammates for helping him win football's most coveted trophy.

He said (via the BBC):

"What I have just experienced is exceptional, I have no words for it, what happened with PSG. 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."

Dembele continued:

"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."

He added:

"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."

Demeble joined PSG in 2023 from Barcelona in a reported £43.5 million deal. The Frenchman is one game shy of 100 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit and has recorded 43 goals and 32 assists so far.

About the author

Okenna is an football journalist at Sportskeeda. He has previously worked as a radio presenter at Green FM Umuahia for 4 years, and as a writer at Opera News Hub Nigeria for around 2 years. As a successful modus operandi, he strictly sticks to publishing guidelines, double checks facts while writing, pays very close attention to details and prides himself on picking complex topics to write on.

A Chelsea fan, Okenna had his first tryst with Blues in 2006, after fellow countryman John Mikel Obi joined the west London club. He was immediately drawn to the brilliance of players like Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, John Terry and Didier Drogba.

Okenna is a huge fan of Lionel Messi for his exceptional talent. He also admires Jose Mourinho for his achievements with various clubs which proves he's a tactical and disciplined manger as well as a serial winner.

Some of Okenna’s prospective career landmarks include working as an international journalist and covering a FIFA World Cup game live from the stadium. When not writing, he loves watching, movies and reading books.

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Edited by Okenna Okere