{"id":122441,"date":"2025-09-23T21:05:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T20:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=122441"},"modified":"2025-09-23T21:05:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T20:05:10","slug":"ousmane-dembele-ends-30-year-wait-becomes-first-african-since-george-weah-to-win-ballon-dor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/ousmane-dembele-ends-30-year-wait-becomes-first-african-since-george-weah-to-win-ballon-dor\/","title":{"rendered":"Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 Ends 30-Year Wait, Becomes First African Since George Weah to Win Ballon d\u2019Or"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 has etched his name into football\u2019s hall of fame, becoming the first African player in nearly three decades to lift the prestigious Ballon d\u2019Or.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The Paris Saint-Germain forward was crowned on Monday night, ending a 30-year wait for Africa since Liberian legend George Weah claimed the award in 1995. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 also becomes only the second black player in history to receive football\u2019s most coveted individual honor.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Born in France, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s roots run deep into Africa. His father hails from Mali, while his mother is Mauritanian.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0That heritage, celebrated across the continent, makes his victory more than personal.\u00a0 It is a collective triumph for Africa.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>For African football lovers, the moment is symbolic. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s rise and recognition shine a spotlight on the continent\u2019s enduring influence in the global game, rekindling pride and hope that more African stars will follow in his footsteps.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>His victory not only honors his own journey but also reaffirms Africa\u2019s place at the heart of world football.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 has etched his name into football\u2019s hall of fame, becoming the first African player in nearly three decades to lift the prestigious Ballon d\u2019Or. The&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":122442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 Ends 30-Year Wait, Becomes First African Since George Weah to Win Ballon d\u2019Or - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/ousmane-dembele-ends-30-year-wait-becomes-first-african-since-george-weah-to-win-ballon-dor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 Ends 30-Year Wait, Becomes First African Since George Weah to Win Ballon d\u2019Or - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Oscar Okhifo Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 has etched his name into football\u2019s hall of fame, becoming the first African player in nearly three decades to lift the prestigious Ballon d\u2019Or. 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