From ‘wonderkid’ to bust to Ballon d’Or winner: Ousmane Dembele’s turbulent journey to becoming the best in the world

At 28 years old, Ousmane Dembele has finally fulfilled the long-standing sortilege of his career, which began when he was dubbed a “wonderkid” eight years ago by winning the Ballon d’Or.

In a season that saw him lead Paris Saint-Germain to its own expected destiny with a historic treble after capturing the Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Champions League titles, Dembele has reached the echelon of a career plagued with injuries, inconsistency, and criticism.

Just a year ago, no one would have believed Dembele to be a Ballon d’Or winner. He wasn’t even the first French international that people would think of when it comes to the honor, as former teammate Kylian Mbappe had been steadily climbing the award’s voting list since 2021. However, Dembele has now surpassed Mbappe – who finished seventh in voting – to become the sixth Frenchman to win the award, joining the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Jean-Pierre Papin, Michel Platini, Raymond Kopa, and Karim Benzema. 

Receiving the award on stage, Dembele could not hold back his tears while thanking his loved ones for sticking with him throughout his career. It was the type of emotional gratification that only a few could ever experience. It was the release of finally eclipsing tempestuous expectations and bringing back control to his career.

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Beaucoup de joie, de fierté et d’émotion. Un rêve devenu réalité. Merci à tous ceux qui m’ont toujours soutenu tout au long de ce parcours. #ballondor pic.twitter.com/dLTgZXqa6d

— Ousmane Dembélé (@dembouz) September 23, 2025

Wonder boy 

Dembele began to put Ligue 1 on notice as an 18-year-old at Rennes, drawing comparisons to Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, further ignited by then-Rennes sporting director Mikael Silvestre, who played for Manchester United at the same time as a teenage Ronaldo. 

Borussia Dortmund then utilized their usual gamble at the time on Dembele, signing him for €35 million, at a time when clubs were still hesitant about putting out their banks for unproven teenagers.

At Dortmund is when Dembele created his ultimate identity: a dribbling wizard that would take on defenders with fiery precision. He knew he wasn’t the primary goal scorer, but everyone, including the opponents, knew that a chance was near every time he had the ball. The Neymar comparisons were generating buzz until it became a pulsating reality in 2017 after FC Barcelona tapped him to replace the Brazilian star after PSG triggered his €222 million release clause.

Expensive flop

Frankly, the hype that Dembele generated from being a €135-million transfer that would replace Neymar at one of the world’s biggest clubs exceeded the maturity and consistency the then-20-year-old had at the time. He had his moments at Camp Nou, but injuries and fitness concerns eventually derailed his potential. 

Dembele won multiple La Liga titles and a Super Copa de España, but it was evident that the club had moved on from expecting the former Best Young Player runner-up would become a worldbeater like Neymar or his then-teammate Lionel Messi. He recorded 24 goals and 34 assists during his six-season time at Barcelona, a far cry from what Barcelona expected and what Neymar contributed when he was there. 

Renaissance in Paris

The Frenchman would try to reignite his career, this time in a familiar league while following the same footsteps as before. In a twist of fate, Dembele would replace Neymar yet again after transferring to PSG for €50 million and join forces with his national squad teammate Mbappe.

Make no mistake, PSG at that time was Mbappe’s team. He had just steered France to the 2024 FIFA World Cup Final and had been in leadership disputes with Neymar after constant disappointments in the Champions League.

Dembele had to adjust to a team trying to find its identity under former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique, and it showed in his first year after producing only six goals in 42 appearances.

But then everything changed when Mbappe moved to Real Madrid. Paris suddenly needed a star. Enrique experimented with Goncalo Ramos, Lee Kang-in, and Marco Asensio, but each player did not live up to what Enrique expected. Enter Dembele, who emerged as PSG’s main man after being converted into a centre forward. Flanked by Lee and Desire Doue, Dembele and PSG became Europe’s most threatening machine.

Proving true to what made him special, Dembele was still capable of penetrating defenses with his dribbling, but under Enrique, he developed into a pseudo-False 9 that ignited the old flame he had when he was a youngster in Rennes and Dortmund. 

In a loaded squad filled with eventual Ballon d’Or runners-up such as Vitinha, Gianluigi Donnarumma (who recently left for Manchester City), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Achraf Hakimi, among others, Dembele shone the brightest and was the leader as PSG went on its treble-winning run. He blasted in 35 goals in 53 appearances, including an outstanding 14 goal contributions in 15 appearances in the Champions League.

Finally, Dembele, now mature and disciplined to take on expectations, has finally achieved football’s highest honor with the best team in the world. As the old forces in the sport in Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar at the twilight of their careers, it is only the beginning of Dembele’s true destiny: to conquer the sport.

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