The 2025 calendar year was statistically and demonstrably the definitive period of Ousmane Dembele’s professional career. Capping a season of unmatched individual and collective success, the French international was recently honored in Dubai as the `Best Male Player` at the prestigious Globe Soccer Awards, confirming an unprecedented clean sweep of major individual honors.
This accolade joins the previously secured Ballon d’Or and the FIFA Best Men’s Player award. For a player once primarily characterized by raw potential and frustrating inconsistency, 2025 marked the rigorous transition to undisputed world-class status.
The Season of Realization: PSG’s European Breakthrough
Dembele’s recognition is fundamentally anchored in his transformative performance during the 2024/25 season. The 28-year-old was the operational pivot for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), delivering 35 goals across all competitions. More critically, he served as the catalyst that finally propelled the Parisian club to the summit of European football.
For years, the Champions League title remained an elusive ambition for PSG. However, the 2024/25 campaign saw the narrative emphatically rewritten. Dembele played an instrumental role in dismantling a formidable trio of Premier League challengers in the knockout stages before culminating in a commanding 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final—a match widely described as one of the most lopsided Champions League deciders in modern history.
This level of sustained, high-impact performance validated the decade-long belief held by observers that Dembele possessed the technical ability to dominate the global game. It was a year where his prodigious talent was finally complemented by durability and clinical output.
The Rising Tide: Lamine Yamal and the Maradona Mandate
While Dembele collected the ultimate individual prize, the Globe Soccer Awards also served to confirm the ascendance of FC Barcelona’s 18-year-old sensation, Lamine Yamal. Though the teenager was the runner-up for the main award—a considerable achievement given his age—Yamal did not depart empty-handed.
Yamal secured the `Best Forward` title and, perhaps more significantly, the Diego Armando Maradona Award. This latter prize, designed to recognize the player exhibiting the greatest skill and innate talent with the ball, places Yamal within a highly exclusive lineage. It is a tacit acknowledgement that while Dembele reached his peak, the young Spaniard represents the future benchmark for technical excellence.
“Hard work pays off, it`s been a fantastic year for me, both individually and collectively.”
PSG Dominance Extends Beyond the Pitch
The Globe Soccer Awards ceremony was overwhelmingly dominated by PSG, signaling that the club`s success was not merely confined to player performance, but reflected superior institutional architecture. PSG was rightfully named `Best Male Club,` while Manager Luis Enrique received the `Best Coach` award.
Further recognizing the depth of their squad and strategy, PSG’s Vitinha was named Best Midfielder, and Desire Doue was crowned Emerging Player. The Parisian hierarchy was also honored, with Luis Campos and Nasser Al-Khelaifi securing the Best Sporting Director and Best Sports President titles, respectively.
Other notable victors in the wide-ranging 19 categories included:
- Best Female Player: Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)
- Best Female Club: FC Barcelona
- Best Middle Eastern Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)
- Best National Team: Portugal (Nations League Winners)
- Best Sports Comeback: Paul Pogba
The Irony of Achievement Versus Current Status
Dembele’s unforgettable 2025 season culminated in global recognition; however, the subsequent 2025/26 campaign has presented a contrasting, more frustrating reality. The immense physical toll of his breakout year, compounded by the rigors of competitive club schedules and summer international commitments (including the Club World Cup), has manifested in several early-season injuries.
As the former prodigy enters the period of his career where trophies confirm legacy, hamstring and calf issues have limited him to just six starts in the current season. There is a certain technical irony in receiving the world’s most prestigious awards based on historic performance while simultaneously managing current physical limitations.
Manager Luis Enrique faces the critical challenge of carefully managing Dembele’s minutes. As PSG prepares to defend their Champions League crown and regain the top spot in Ligue 1 from Lens, the return of their `Best Male Player` to peak match sharpness remains the most crucial variable for the remainder of the season.
Rupert Caldwell