PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele lifted the Ballon d’Or on Monday after spearheading the club’s maiden Champions League triumph, while Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati claimed the women’s prize for a third consecutive year.

Dembele, who netted 37 goals and supplied 15 assists in 53 appearances last season, became only the sixth Frenchman to claim football’s most prestigious individual honour.

He follows in the footsteps of Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema.

The 28-year-old’s victory marked a stunning turnaround. Frozen out briefly by coach Luis Enrique for disciplinary reasons, he thrived after being redeployed as a No 9 and led PSG’s quadruple-winning campaign. His contribution in the Champions League was decisive —

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