Former Borussia Dortmund star Ousmane Dembele thanked his old club after winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or on Monday. The French international won the Golden Ball ahead of Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal for a fabulous, treble-winning season with Paris Saint-Germain.
The 28-year-old netted 35 goals and made another 15 assists to help PSG win the Ligue 1, the French Cup, and the Champions League last season, whilst also helping them reach the finals of the 2025 Club World Cup in June this year.
In his acceptance speech, Dembele was humble enough to thank his former teams, including Borussia Dortmund, where he played for just one season in 2016. He made 49 appearances in all competitions for the club, netting 10 goals and providing 20 assists, as well as winning the 2016-17 DFB-Pokal cup.
Among his memorable performances in the black and yellow include a hat-trick of assists against Legia Warsaw in an epic 8-4 Champions League victory, as well as netting against arch-rivals Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in a 3-2 domestic cup victory.
Signed from the French side Rennes for an undisclosed fee, Dembele's eye-catching performances garnered interest from some top clubs around Europe that summer, before Spanish giants Barcelona eventually priced him away for a €105 million fee (plus a reported €40 million in add-ons).