Emotional Ousmane Dembélé breaks into tears as he thanks his mother after Ballon d’Or win | WATCH

Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembele won the Ballon d'Or on Monday as a reward for his starring role in the club's Champions League triumph last season, while Spain's Aitana Bonmati claimed the women's prize for the third year in a row.

Dembele, 28, edged out Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal to succeed Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, who took the trophy in 2024, as the winner of the most prestigious individual prize in football -- an award that for many years had been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona forward Dembele, who was part of the France team that won the World Cup in 2018, scored 35 goals in all competitions as PSG claimed a French league and cup double as well as winning the Champions League.

With Dembele converted into a centre-forward following Kylian Mbappe's departure for Real Madrid, PSG went on to hammer Inter Milan 5-0 in the final in Munich to win the European Cup for the first time in their history.

"I really don't have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG," an emotional Dembele said on the stage at the Theatre du Chatelet in central Paris.

He added that his boss Luis Enrique -- who won the award for club coach of the year -- had been "like a father" to him.

"It is an individual trophy but it was really the collective that won it," insisted Dembele, who was one of nine members of the triumphant PSG team from last season to be nominated for the prize.

"The Ballon d'Or has not really been an objective for me in my career but I worked hard for the team to win the Champions League."

Footballer’s mother joins on stage

Dembélé grew emotional during his acceptance speech as he expressed gratitude to those closest to him. He was visibly moved when he mentioned his mother, who was seated in the audience. She later joined him on stage to share a heartfelt hug.

His brother, also in the crowd, was seen wiping away tears during this touching moment. Video clips capturing the emotional scene were later shared on social media.

The 18-year-old Yamal, who was a teammate of Dembele's at Barcelona when he first broke through in 2023, did earlier win the Kopa Trophy for the best player aged under 21 -- the second year running he has taken that award.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or awards witnessed emotional moments as players were honored with football’s top accolades.