Ousmane Dembele, the French forward for Paris Saint-Germain, has been crowned the winner of the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or. Meanwhile, Aitana Bonmati from Barcelona secured the women’s title for the third consecutive year, marking her as the third individual to achieve a hat-trick of titles, following Michel Platini and Lionel Messi.
The awards, considered the pinnacle of individual recognition in football, were presented at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday. Dembele, who played a key role in PSG’s historic Champions League victory in May, outshone Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who had recently led Spain to their Euro 2025 triumph.
Bonmati, despite her team’s loss in the Women’s European Championship final to England, was lauded as the tournament’s best player, just days after being treated for viral meningitis.
Dembele, now recognized as the sixth French winner of the Ballon d’Or, follows in the footsteps of legends Raymond Kopa, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema. His journey to the top included being overlooked by his coach for disciplinary reasons early in the season but later becoming a vital goal-scoring force. Bonmati, on the other hand, secured her victory amongst strong English competition, with Arsenal’s Alessia Russo placing third.
Other notable awards at the ceremony included the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player, won by Yamal for the second consecutive year. In the coaching category, Sarina Wiegman, who guided England to the Euros title, and Luis Enrique of PSG were honored as the best coaches in women’s and men’s football, respectively.
PSG shone brightly, with the club being voted the best men’s team, and Gianluigi Donnarumma, their goalkeeper who moved to Manchester City, receiving the Lev Yashin Award for best goalkeeper. Viktor Gyokeres from Barcelona and Ewa Pajor from Arsenal were crowned the top scorers in men’s and women’s football, respectively.
The awards, considered the pinnacle of individual recognition in football, were presented at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday. Dembele, who played a key role in PSG’s historic Champions League victory in May, outshone Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who had recently led Spain to their Euro 2025 triumph.
Bonmati, despite her team’s loss in the Women’s European Championship final to England, was lauded as the tournament’s best player, just days after being treated for viral meningitis.
Dembele, now recognized as the sixth French winner of the Ballon d’Or, follows in the footsteps of legends Raymond Kopa, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema. His journey to the top included being overlooked by his coach for disciplinary reasons early in the season but later becoming a vital goal-scoring force. Bonmati, on the other hand, secured her victory amongst strong English competition, with Arsenal’s Alessia Russo placing third.
Other notable awards at the ceremony included the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player, won by Yamal for the second consecutive year. In the coaching category, Sarina Wiegman, who guided England to the Euros title, and Luis Enrique of PSG were honored as the best coaches in women’s and men’s football, respectively.
PSG shone brightly, with the club being voted the best men’s team, and Gianluigi Donnarumma, their goalkeeper who moved to Manchester City, receiving the Lev Yashin Award for best goalkeeper. Viktor Gyokeres from Barcelona and Ewa Pajor from Arsenal were crowned the top scorers in men’s and women’s football, respectively.
