Dembele Crowns Unforgettable Year with Globe Soccer Glory
Ousmane Dembele, the standout forward for Paris Saint-Germain, capped off a truly remarkable 2025 season by being named the `Best Male Player` at the prestigious Globe Soccer Awards gala held in the UAE. This latest honor solidified his status as the world’s premier footballer, completing a historic clean sweep of major individual awards for the year, including the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year prize.
The 28-year-old finally realized the true potential he was always destined to achieve during the 2024/25 campaign. He was directly involved in 35 goals across all competitions and played an instrumental role in PSG securing their first-ever Champions League title. The Parisians swept aside three English Premier League rivals in the knockout stages before dominating Inter Milan with a decisive 5-0 victory in one of the most one-sided Champions League finals in memory.
Although the beginning of his 2025/26 season has been stop-start due to recurring hamstring and calf injuries, the dominance and brilliance of his performances in the first half of the year proved sufficient for the former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund prodigy to claim the world`s highest accolades.
Rising Star Lamine Yamal Secures Two Key Awards
While FC Barcelona`s young sensation, Lamine Yamal, narrowly missed out on the top prize to Dembele once again—having also been the Ballon d’Or runner-up—the 18-year-old did not leave the Dubai ceremony empty-handed as his stature in the global game continues to ascend rapidly.
Yamal was honored as the ‘Best Forward’ at the ceremony. Furthermore, he received the highly esteemed Diego Armando Maradona Award, which recognizes the player demonstrating the greatest skill and talent on the ball—an award fittingly dedicated to the legendary Argentine. The teenager was also included in the shortlist for the overall Best Male Player prize, alongside elite talents such as Kylian Mbappe, Raphinha, and Vitinha.
Following his previous victory at the FIFA Best Awards, Dembele commented: “I want to thank my team-mates. Hard work pays off; it`s been a fantastic year for me, both individually and collectively.”
PSG Dominates the Tally
The Globe Soccer Awards celebrated excellence across numerous categories. Alongside Dembele`s individual win, Paris Saint-Germain demonstrated comprehensive club success, securing the ‘Best Male Club’ award, while their coach, Luis Enrique, was named ‘Best Coach.’
PSG’s triumphant night continued, highlighting the depth of their squad and management. Vitinha won the ‘Best Midfielder’ award, Desire Doue was crowned ‘Emerging Player,’ and executive recognition went to Luis Campos (‘Best Sporting Director’) and Nasser Al-Khelaifi (‘Best Sports President’).
Selected Award Winners:
- Best Female Player: Aitana Bonmati
- Best Male Club: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
- Best Female Club: Barcelona
- Best Coach: Luis Enrique (PSG)
- Best Middle Eastern Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)
- Best National Team: Portugal (Nations League Winners)
- Best Sports Comeback: Paul Pogba
Focus Shifts to Injury Recovery
This latest achievement crowns an unforgettable calendar year for the French international. However, Dembele’s immediate focus must now shift to regaining match sharpness, having been limited to only six starts this season due to persistent hamstring and calf injuries.
His physical challenges were likely exacerbated by the severe fixture congestion PSG faced in 2025, including their demanding Club World Cup exploits over the summer. Coach Luis Enrique is carefully managing Dembele’s recovery and minutes, hoping to restore his star attacker to full fitness in time for the crucial spring run-in. This period will see the Parisians mount a defense of their Champions League crown and look to reclaim the top spot in Ligue 1 from Lens.
