France forward Ousmane Dembl won the men's Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, the most prestigious individual award in football rewarding his starring role in the Paris Saint-Germain side that won the Champions League last season.

Ousmane Demblwon the Ballon dOr for leading Paris Saint-Germain to its firstChampions Leaguetitle and Aitana Bonmat received the womens award for a third successive year on Monday.

Dembl succeededManchester Citymidfielder Rodri to become the sixth Frenchman to win it after Raymond Kopa,Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin,Zinedine ZidaneandKarim Benzema.

Bonmat won ahead of her Spain teammate Mariona Caldentey. She's only the third player in the award's history to win three in a row afterMichel Platini(198385) andLionel Messi(2009-12).

It has been a remarkable turn of fortune for Dembl, who at one point last season was snubbed byPSGcoach Luis Enrique for disciplinary reasons. But once repositioned as a No. 9, he became a scoring machine and was inspirational in PSG's historic Champions League campaign. The French club also completed a quadruple last season.

In the Champions League final, Dembl was praised afterward for the way he contributed to PSG's pressing and his ability to defend during the 5-0 rout ofInter Milan.

Dembl won ahead of teenage star Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona forward, who turned 18 in July, helped Barcelona win La Liga and the Copa del Rey last season and reach the Champions League semifinals. He also helped Spain win the European Championship in July 2024.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

Originally published on France24