Aitana Bonmati and Ousmane Dembele
Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele has been crowned the world’s best player after winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time in his career.
The female category saw Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati cement her place in football history after winning the Ballon d’Or Féminin for a record third consecutive year at Monday’s ceremony in Paris.
Dembele, 28, enjoyed a stunning 2024/25 campaign, scoring 35 goals and providing 14 assists in 53 appearances as PSG secured a historic treble, including their maiden Champions League title.
The French International finished joint top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals and was named both Ligue 1 Player of the Year and Champions League Player of the Year.
Dembele also played a key role in PSG’s run to the Club World Cup final, where they were beaten by Chelsea in New Jersey.
His remarkable form earned him the prestigious award ahead of Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who finished second but claimed the Kopa Trophy for best young player.
Visibly emotional, Dembele shed tears on stage in Paris as he collected his award, despite PSG being in action on the same evening. He missed the match, a 1-0 home defeat to Marseille, due to injury.
His triumph marks a sensational revival for a player once plagued by inconsistency and injuries. Before this season, he had not scored double figures in a league campaign since his teenage days at Rennes.
Bonmati History
Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati is the first women’s player to claim the award three times since its launch in 2018, beating Arsenal forwards Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo, who finished second and third respectively.
Bonmati was once again central to Barcelona’s dominance last season, guiding the Catalan side to a domestic treble of the Liga F, Copa de la Reina, and Supercopa de España Femenina.
She contributed 16 goals and 12 assists across all competitions and was named UEFA Women’s Champions League Player of the Season, after steering Barca to the final in Lisbon, where they narrowly lost 1-0 to Arsenal.
Her influence stretched far beyond her club. Despite being diagnosed with viral meningitis just before Euro 2025, Bonmati starred for Spain throughout the tournament.
She scored the decisive goal in the semi-final win over Germany, provided a key assist in the quarter-final against Switzerland, and was named Player of the Tournament, as Spain reached the final before falling to England in a penalty shootout.