Dembélé beats Yamal to another award ahead of Ballon d'Or announcement

Ousmane Dembélé, a frontrunner for the prestigious Ballon d'Or, has already secured another significant individual accolade: the Golden Onze.

This award is presented annually by the French magazine "Onze Mondial" and, much like France Football's prize, recognizes the top-performing footballer in European leagues from the previous season.

During the 2024/25 season, the French forward clinched five trophies with Paris Saint-Germain.

He concluded the campaign with an impressive 35 goals and 16 assists across 53 appearances in all competitions.

In the voting, Dembélé narrowly edged out Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), who is also his primary rival for the Ballon d'Or.

Dembélé garnered 32.5% of the votes compared to the Spaniard's 30%. The "Onze Mondial" magazine's readers cast the ballots for this award.

The Golden Onze has been awarded since 1976. Lionel Messi holds the record for the most wins, with four. Notably, the award was not presented to anyone last season.

The winner of the Ballon d'Or, meanwhile, is set to be announced on September 22.