📋 Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Gala Results: All the Winners
- Men’s Ballon d’Or: Nominees and Final Ranking
- Women’s Ballon d’Or: Nominees and Final Ranking
- Kopa Trophy (Best Player Under 21)
- Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper)
- Gerd Müller Trophy (Top Goalscorer)
- Johan Cruyff Trophy (Best Manager)
- Club of the Year and Sócrates Award
- Trivia and Highlights of the 2025 Edition
- Conclusion
Introduction
The 69th Ballon d’Or gala, organized by France Football in partnership with UEFA, finally took place on September 22, 2025, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, crowning the new kings and queens of world football after months of speculation surrounding the 30 nominees in both the men’s and women’s categories.
The undisputed star of the night was Ousmane Dembélé, who edged out Lamine Yamal in one of the most talked-about duels of the last decade, while Aitana Bonmatí made history by capturing her third consecutive Women’s Ballon d’Or. Below, we review the complete list of winners for the 2025 edition, alongside the original list of nominees revealed by France Football on August 7 of that year.
🏆 Gala Results: All the Winners
Here is the complete list of champions across the 13 categories awarded during the ceremony:
- Men’s Ballon d’Or: Ousmane Dembélé (France, PSG)
- Women’s Ballon d’Or: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain, FC Barcelona) — third consecutive title
- Men’s Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal (Spain, FC Barcelona)
- Women’s Kopa Trophy: Vicky López (Spain, FC Barcelona) — first edition of the award
- Men’s Yashin Trophy: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, PSG/Manchester City)
- Women’s Yashin Trophy: Hannah Hampton (England, Chelsea) — first edition of the award
- Men’s Gerd Müller Trophy: Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden, Sporting CP/Arsenal)
- Women’s Gerd Müller Trophy: Ewa Pajor (Poland, FC Barcelona) — first edition of the award
- Men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy: Luis Enrique (Spain, PSG)
- Women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy: Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands, England national team)
- Men’s Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain
- Women’s Club of the Year: Arsenal
- Sócrates Award: Xana Foundation (founded by Luis Enrique in memory of his daughter)
Paris Saint-Germain enjoyed a historic night, taking home the Men’s Ballon d’Or, the Men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy, and the Men’s Club of the Year—a treble of individual and collective awards reflecting a dream season capped off by the first Champions League title in the club’s history.
⚽ Men’s Ballon d’Or: Nominees and Final Ranking
The original list of 30 nominees for the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or, revealed on August 7, featured established superstars and rising young talents spanning 17 different countries and 11 clubs:
Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembélé, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Désiré Doué, Denzel Dumfries, Serhou Guirassy, Viktor Gyökeres, Erling Haaland, Achraf Hakimi, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Robert Lewandowski, Alexis Mac Allister, Lautaro Martínez, Scott McTominay, Kylian Mbappé, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Pedri, Cole Palmer, Michael Olise, Raphinha, Declan Rice, Fabián Ruiz, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Vinícius Júnior, Vitinha, Florian Wirtz, and Lamine Yamal.
The final ranking, revealed on the night of the gala just before announcing the winner, featured the following top 10: 1. Ousmane Dembélé, 2. Lamine Yamal, 3. Vitinha, 4. Mohamed Salah, 5. Raphinha, 6. Achraf Hakimi, 7. Kylian Mbappé, 8. Cole Palmer, 9. Gianluigi Donnarumma, 10. Nuno Mendes. Voting, which was open to journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings, ultimately came down to a tight race between Dembélé and Yamal. The Frenchman ultimately prevailed thanks to his decisive role in PSG’s treble (Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Champions League) along with the UEFA Super Cup.
With this title, Dembélé became the sixth French footballer to win the Ballon d’Or, following in the footsteps of Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema.
👑 Women’s Ballon d’Or: Nominees and Final Ranking
In the women’s category, Aitana Bonmatí claimed victory for the third consecutive year, an unprecedented milestone in the history of the women’s award. The final top 5 consisted of: 1. Aitana Bonmatí, 2. Mariona Caldentey, 3. Alessia Russo, 4. Alexia Putellas, 5. Chloe Kelly. All were instrumental in the European successes of Barcelona and Arsenal, as well as the 2025 Women’s Euro final contested between England and Spain.
Bonmatí became the first footballer in history to secure three consecutive Ballon d’Or awards, cementing Spain’s status as the nation with the most titles in this category since 2021.
🌟 Kopa Trophy (Best Player Under 21)
- Men’s Winner: Lamine Yamal, who went back-to-back after winning the previous edition, solidifying his status as the premier young talent in world football despite narrowly missing out on the main Ballon d’Or.
- Women’s Winner: Vicky López (FC Barcelona), taking the inaugural edition of this award in the women’s branch, following her role in Barcelona’s domestic treble and her performance in the Women’s Euro final, where she registered a goal and an assist in her first major tournament with the senior national team.
Other notable nominees in both categories included Désiré Doué, João Neves, and Pau Cubarsí on the men’s side, and Linda Caicedo, Michelle Agyemang, and Wieke Kaptein on the women’s.
🧤 Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper)
- Men’s Winner: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Manchester City), finishing ahead of Alisson Becker, Yann Sommer, Thibaut Courtois, and Yassine Bounou.
- Women’s Winner: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), claiming the inaugural women’s edition of the award after keeping 13 clean sheets during Chelsea’s unbeaten Women’s Super League campaign and proving decisive in two penalty shootouts for England at the Women’s Euro.
⚡ Gerd Müller Trophy (Top Goalscorer)
- Men’s Winner: Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting CP/Arsenal), recognized for his combined 63 goals for both club and the Swedish national team over the course of the season.
- Women’s Winner: Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona), following a stellar 43-goal campaign across 46 matches, in the first-ever presentation of the women’s version of the award.
🧠 Johan Cruyff Trophy (Best Manager)
- Men’s Winner: Luis Enrique (PSG), marking his second time capturing this honor after previously winning it in 2015 with Barcelona. The Asturian manager was unable to attend the gala due to a rain-delayed PSG league match being played the same night, but he offered his thanks via a recorded message. Other nominees included Hansi Flick, Antonio Conte, Enzo Maresca, and Arne Slot.
- Women’s Winner: Sarina Wiegman (England national team), after successfully defending her Women’s Euro title in July 2025 against Spain via a penalty shootout in the final.
🏟️ Club of the Year and Sócrates Award
- Men’s Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain, recognized after winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the UEFA Super Cup, and, most notably, the first Champions League title in their history with a commanding 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final.
- Women’s Club of the Year: Arsenal, champions of the Women’s Champions League for the 2024/25 season.
- Sócrates Award: Awarded to the Xana Foundation, the charitable organization launched by Luis Enrique in memory of his daughter, recognizing social and humanitarian commitment within the world of football.
💡 Trivia and Highlights of the 2025 Edition
Lamine Yamal ended up being the only footballer simultaneously nominated for both the Men’s Ballon d’Or and the Kopa Trophy, ultimately taking home the latter at the age of 18—the youngest age in the recent history of the award. PSG dominated the evening, boasting nine nominees for the Men’s Ballon d’Or and walking away with three of the night’s top honors. On the women’s side, Vicky López made history as the first-ever winner of the Women’s Kopa Trophy following its creation in 2025. Meanwhile, Hannah Hampton and Ewa Pajor were the inaugural champions of the women’s Yashin and Gerd Müller Trophies, respectively, marking a watershed moment for the recognition of women’s football at the gala.
🎉 Conclusion
The 2025 edition of the Ballon d’Or will be remembered as the night Ousmane Dembélé reached the absolute summit of world football following a historic season with PSG, edging out teenage sensation Lamine Yamal in an incredibly tight vote. Yet, it will also be remembered for the firm consolidation of women’s football within the gala, highlighted by the creation of three new exclusive categories and Aitana Bonmatí’s historic third consecutive crown. Striking a balance between the experience of established superstars and the explosive arrival of a new generation, this edition underscored the ongoing global expansion and increased gender equity within football’s most prestigious individual award.