Gala of great emotions: Dembélé cries, Yamal's father complains

At the end of a long acceptance speech, Ousmane Dembélé's tears welled up. As the French football star thought of his family after winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or, he showed great emotion. His mother took the stage and hugged her son, visibly moved.

September 23, 2025

From: fop/dpa

The Award for the attacking player of Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain The performance was an emotional climax in the elegant Théâtre du Châtelet. "Unbelievable" for him, said Dembélé, who was enthusiastically celebrated in the chic hall in Paris. He was at a loss for words, said the 28-year-old. He was "a little excited." The fact that he was able to accept the Golden Ball from former Brazilian world footballer Ronaldinho was something very special.

In front of the theater, numerous PSG fans celebrated him with flags and flares. Fireworks shot into the sky as the exceptional athlete was escorted away from the gala. Among the many well-wishers was his national teammate Kylian Mbappé. "Ousmane Dembélé. These are emotions, my brother! You deserve it 1000 times over," the 26-year-old shared on Instagram.

“These are emotions, my brother!” Kylian Mbappé

Dembélé included many in his thanks: his former clubs Stade Rennes, Borussia Dortmund, and FC Barcelona; his club coach Luis Enrique; and national team coach Didier Deschamps, with whom he won the 2018 World Cup. Meanwhile, Luis Enrique and the rest of the Paris team had to face Olympique Marseille because the match against their arch-rivals had been postponed to Monday evening due to severe weather warnings. The 1-0 defeat at their big rivals cost PSG the league lead.

Yamal's father angrily counters

Champions League, league title, cup, Super Cup – apart from the Club World Cup, Dembélé swept it all with PSG last season. His tremendous footballing potential was already undisputed during his time at Dortmund, where he played in the 2016/2017 season and then forced his move to Barcelona via strike. Since then, the skilled technician has also matured personally. Winning the Ballon d'Or was no big surprise.

Ronaldinho (2nd from left) presented the awards to Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal. © ANSA / Mohammed Badra

As expected by many experts, Dembélé had won the race at the competition organized by the magazine France Football and the European Football Union UEFA, they agreed on the winner with Lamine Yamal in the journalists' election organized by the German Football Association (DfB) – and ultimately prevailed against the young Spanish star from Barcelona.

His father didn't like that at all. "I believe that Lamine Yamal is by far the best player in the world, by a very long way. Not because he's my son, but because he's the best player in the world," Mounir Nasroui told the Spanish football program The Snack and added: "I think he has no competitors." Nasroui announced: "Next year the Ballon d'Or will be Spanish."

Donnarumma “forgets” Luis Enrique

Gianluigi Donnarumma was named best goalkeeper. The Italian international keeper won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain and moved to Manchester City in the summer.

Gianluigi Donnarumma attended the awards ceremony with his entire family. © ANSA / Mohammed Badra

Donnarumma played a major role in PSG's triumph, which was also honored as Team of the Year. Nevertheless, he had to pack his bags afterward. Although the Italian thanked his former club in his speech, he didn't mention their coach, Luis Enrique, by name. "I would like to thank my family, my wife, and my young son. Now I'm concentrating on my new adventure; I'm happy that City have placed so much trust in me."