In a stunning turn of events, 28-year-old French forward Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has won the prestigious Ballon d`Or for the first time in his career, beating Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.
Meanwhile, Barcelona`s Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmatí has secured the women`s Ballon d`Or for the third consecutive time. She becomes the first female footballer to win the award three times, surpassing her compatriot and fellow Barcelona player Alexia Putellas, who has two titles.
The awards ceremony for the 2025 Ballon d`Or, presented by the French magazine `France Football,` took place on Monday, September 22, in Paris.
Dembélé had a phenomenal season with PSG, playing a crucial role in their domestic treble win. His exceptional performance led many to consider him a deserving candidate for the top honor. The former Barcelona forward was instrumental in PSG`s victories in the Champions League, Ligue 1, and the French Cup. He also scored the lone winning goal in the French Super Cup.
He finished the season with 35 goals in 53 matches across all competitions, including eight in PSG`s historic Champions League winning campaign. He also provided 16 assists. In contrast, Yamal had an impressive season of his own, helping Barcelona secure the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup. The young Spanish winger scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 matches across all competitions.
On the women`s side, the 27-year-old Bonmatí was a key player in the Barcelona women`s team`s domestic treble victory. She scored 16 goals and made 12 assists across all competitions and was named the UEFA Women`s Champions League Player of the Season, despite Barcelona losing the final 1-0 to Arsenal.
It is worth noting that the rules for the Ballon d`Or were changed in 2022. The award now considers a European football season (August to July) instead of the calendar year. The winners are selected by a vote of journalists.
Ballon d`Or 2025 Rankings: Top 30
Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Vitinha (PSG)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Raphinha (Barcelona)
Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)
Nuno Mendes (PSG)
Pedri (Barcelona)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Désiré Doué (PSG)
Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal)
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Scott McTominay (Napoli)
João Neves (PSG)
Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund)
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Fabián Ruiz (PSG)
Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
