Dembele wins Ballon d’Or: Full list of French winners in history

Dembele Wins Ballon d’Or 2025

PSG and France forward Ousmane Dembele wins his first Ballon d’Or after a historic treble-winning season. Here are the other French players who have won the award

Raymond Kopa (1958)

The first Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or, Kopa made history with his exceptional performances for Real Madrid

Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985)

Platini dominated European football in the 1980s, winning the Ballon d’Or three consecutive times

Jean-Pierre Papin (1991)

Papin earned the prestigious award after an incredible season with Marseille, recognized for his scoring brilliance

Zinedine Zidane (1998)

Zidane won the Ballon d’Or the same year France lifted the World Cup, becoming a global football icon

Karim Benzema (2022)

Benzema’s incredible season with Real Madrid, including a Champions League triumph, earned him the Ballon d’Or before Dembele

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