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After the 30 nominees were announced in August, the 2025 Ballon d'Or, awarded to the world's best footballer, was handed out on Monday evening.

Ousmane Dembélé has taken the soccer world by storm with a breakout season at Paris Saint-Germain, one that saw him lift the 2025 Ballon d’Or ahead of several top stars, most notably runner-up Lamine Yamal. As the French forward claimed the sport’s most prestigious individual honor, Lionel Messi sent a heartfelt message to his former teammate.

Christian Pulisic played the hero for AC Milan in their weekend clash against Udinese, scoring twice to lead the Rossoneri to a crucial away win in the 2025-26 Serie A season. Beyond his match-winning performance, Pulisic also etched his name into the history books by surpassing a milestone held by a USMNT legend.

Ousmane Dembele has emerged as the winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or following a breakthrough 2024-25 season in which he excelled both individually and collectively with Paris Saint-Germain. After the ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet, his French national team teammate Kylian Mbappé shared a heartfelt 10-word message congratulating the Ballon d’Or winner.

Aitana Bonmatí has taken the women’s soccer scene by storm over the past few years, becoming one of the most important and decisive players for both FC Barcelona and Spain’s national team. The midfielder has now made history again by winning the 2025 Women’s Ballon d’Or, joining an exclusive club alongside Lionel Messi and a French legend.

Ousmane Dembélé has been crowned the winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or after an outstanding 2024-25 season with Paris Saint-Germain, a campaign highlighted by lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy. With the forward receiving the prestigious accolade, France has now matched a historic record previously held only by Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

For years, Ousmane Dembélé was seen as a player with flashes of brilliance but lacking consistency. Tonight in Paris, at the Théâtre du Châtelet, he may have silenced all doubts: the PSG winger is the winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or, capping off the best season of his career. And in doing so, he follows in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, who also won the Ballon d’Or while wearing PSG colors.

Ousmane Dembélé will be a major absence for Paris Saint-Germain in one of the most important fixtures of the French season. On Matchday 5 of Ligue 1 2025-26, PSG visit Olympique de Marseille in Le Classique, scheduled for Monday, September 22, at 3:00 PM ET at the iconic Stade Vélodrome. The French winger is sidelined with a serious hamstring injury, ruling him out for around six weeks and leaving PSG without one of their most dynamic attacking players.

A few years ago, Harry Kane made the decision to leave Tottenham and join Bayern Munich, where he has enjoyed great success so far.

After joining VfL Wolfsburg late in the transfer window, Christian Eriksen made his debut for his new club in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, coming on as a substitute with around 30 minutes remaining.

Having played just 18 minutes of football this season, Jonas Wind has made it clear he is not satisfied with his current role at VfL Wolfsburg.

Werder Bremen had to manage without Samuel Mbangula in their 0-3 defeat to Freiburg on Saturday, as the Belgian winger was sidelined with a thigh problem – and he was sorely missed.

Referee Daniel Siebert has praised Karim Adeyemi for a fair-play gesture during Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg.

Expectations were high when Merlin Röhl first broke into SC Freiburg's first team, but things never quite took off for the 23-year-old before his move to Everton in the summer.

Bayern Munich were reportedly interested in Dean Huijsen before he moved from Bournemouth to Real Madrid this summer, according to his agent, Ali Barat.