In a night of celebration for football, Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain and Aitana Bonmati of FC Barcelona were crowned winners of the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards in Paris. The ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet recognised them respectively as the best male and female players in the world for their outstanding performances over the 2024-25 season.
Dembele’s award in the men’s category was a landmark achievement both personally and for PSG. At 28, he became only the sixth Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or, and the first since Karim Benzema in 2022. His role was pivotal during PSG’s historic season in which they won their first ever UEFA Champions League title, along with domestic honours such as Ligue 1 and the French Cup, among others.
He scored 35 goals in 53 matches across all competitions, contributing 16 assists, playing a central role in crucial moments, and at one point was repositioned by coach Luis Enrique into a more central forward role where his goal scoring surged. During his acceptance speech he acknowledged his teammates, staff, club and coach, praising the collective effort that underpinned PSG’s success.
Bonmati’s win in the women’s Ballon d’Or was equally impressive. She is now the first woman ever to win the award three years in a row, joining a rare club of players (male or female) who have achieved such consistency. The previous such streaks were by Michel Platini (1983-85) and Lionel Messi (2009-12). Over the season she helped Barcelona win a domestic treble. In the Women’s Champions League, Barça reached the final though they lost 1-0 to Arsenal. Dembele
In international competition she also had strong showings, helping Spain reach the EURO 2025 final. Despite some defeats in major finals, her overall performance, leadership, consistency and influence under pressure contributed to her retaining the top individual honour.
Several other awards were handed out that night. The Kopa Trophy for the best young male player went to Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain), while the women’s Kopa Trophy was won by Vicky López. The Yashin Trophies for best goalkeepers were awarded to Gianluigi Donnarumma (men) and Hannah Hampton (women). Other coaches and clubs were also recognised: Luis Enrique was named best coach in the men’s categories, Sarina Wiegman won the women’s Coach of the Year, and PSG was named men’s Club of the Year.
In many ways the evening was both a validation and a turning point. For Dembele, it marked the culmination of years of ups and downs, injuries and criticism, now replaced by leadership, goals and trophies. For Bonmati, it reinforced her status not just as one of the best female footballers today but as one of the most consistent, reliable top performers in a sport still growing rapidly in competitive depth. The story of the 2025 Ballon d’Or is one of resilience, evolution and collective strength, with individual brilliance rising out of team success.
