Dembélé's Ballon d'Or Win Heralds a New Era of 'Street-Style' Football

Fifty-nine years after the first Ballon d'Or award, the 2025 voting has crowned a winner that signals a beautiful return to the game's roots. Ousmane Dembélé, a master of "street-style" football, has won the prestigious award, edging out his former Barcelona teammate, 18-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal. Their battle for the top spot represents a shift away from the modern game's focus on systems and analytics and a renewed appreciation for pure, unadulterated talent.

Dembélé’s victory was cemented by his sensational season with Paris Saint-Germain, where he led the club to their first-ever treble, including a long-awaited Champions League title. By doing so, he beat out a phenomenal field of candidates, including Yamal, who at just 18, becomes the youngest player in history to reach the Ball on d'Or podium. The third-place finisher, Vitinha, also of PSG, had an exceptional year, winning the treble with his club and the Nations League with Portugal. The fact that his accomplishments were not enough to secure the top spot is a testament to the extraordinary quality of Dembélé and Yamal.

The victory of two such maverick players echoes the spirit of the first Ballon d'Or in 1956, which was awarded to three skill-heavy geniuses: Sir Stanley Mathews, Alfredo di Stefano, and Raymond Kopa. Like them, Dembélé and Yamal are "confidence tricksters" who use their body language and audacious feints to deceive defenders and create moments of magic. This "me-versus-you" style, born on concrete playgrounds, is a stark contrast to the computer-planned schemes of the modern era.

While they share a similar style of play, Dembélé and Yamal could not be more different in their paths to the top. Dembélé was once seen as a "man-child," a well-liked but frustrating and injury-prone talent who was not living up to his potential. Yamal, on the other hand, was "born ready," displaying a high football IQ and a humble maturity that belied his young age. His precocity led to him being a target for major clubs since he was 15, and he is already carrying both club and country on his back.

Ultimately, the win is not just a personal triumph for Dembélé, but a victory for football itself. It's a celebration of the risk-takers and anarchists who provide jaw-dropping moments of invention and creativity. As the analytical revolution continues to try and deny space and nullify talent, the 2025 Ballon d'Or vote proves that what fans truly love is the spontaneous, unpredictable joy of the beautiful game.