The 2025 Ballon d’Or will go down in history as the edition where Ousmane Dembélé finally achieved ultimate glory. An unforgettable campaign propelled the French Paris Saint-Germain winger to lift the prestigious award, edging out Lamine Yamal and Vitinha in the voting. His merits leave no room for debate: he was the architect behind PSG’s first-ever Champions League title, was named Player of the Season in the competition, and finished the campaign with staggering numbers — 37 goals and 16 assists combined across club and country.
With decisive performances in both the Champions League and Ligue 1, Dembélé cemented his status as the leader of a generation determined to leave its mark on an era.
📋 Table of Contents
- 🌟 Dembélé’s Path to the Ballon d’Or
- 🏅 Top 10 Rankings for the 2025 Ballon d’Or
- 🏆 The Other Winners of the 2025 Gala
- 💪 Dembélé and His Story of Redemption
- 👑 Women’s Ballon d’Or: Bonmatí’s Third Reign
- 🎉 A Gala to Remember
- ⚠️ Major Controversies
- Conclusion
🌟 Dembélé’s Path to the Ballon d’Or
The 2024/25 season was, without a doubt, the best of his career:
- He dazzled with PSG, serving as the centerpiece in their historic quadruple (Trophée des Champions, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Champions League), finishing as the top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals.
- In the Champions League, he was crowned the tournament’s best player: 8 goals and 6 assists in the knockout stages alone, including two crucial assists in the final against Inter Milan (5-0).
- With the French national team, he delivered elite-level performances that capped off his greatest individual season as a professional.
- His ability to unbalance defenses, raw speed, and eye for goal made him the most decisive player of the year.
👉 This Ballon d’Or doesn’t merely recognize his talent; it is also a testament to extraordinary resilience following years plagued by injuries and frustration.
🏅 Top 10 Rankings for the 2025 Ballon d’Or
| Rank | Player | National Team | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ousmane Dembélé | France | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2 | Lamine Yamal | Spain | FC Barcelona |
| 3 | Vitinha | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 4 | Mohamed Salah | Egypt | Liverpool |
| 5 | Raphinha | Brazil | FC Barcelona |
| 6 | Achraf Hakimi | Morocco | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 7 | Kylian Mbappé | France | Real Madrid |
| 8 | Cole Palmer | England | Chelsea |
| 9 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | Italy | PSG/Manchester City |
| 10 | Nuno Mendes | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain |
🏆 The Other Winners of the 2025 Gala
The night in Paris also honored other major figures in world football across the gala’s 13 categories:
- 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 (launched by Luis Enrique in memory of his daughter)
Each of these awards reflected the brilliant era that world football is currently experiencing, with rising stars and established legends sharing the stage on the exact same night.
💪 Dembélé and His Story of Redemption
Dembélé’s journey to the pinnacle of world football is marked by breaking points that make his ultimate triumph all the more epic.
His tenure at Barcelona was clouded by recurring injuries and a miss that still haunts the memory of Barça fans: in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals, with Barça leading Liverpool 3-0 at Camp Nou, Dembélé had a golden one-on-one opportunity against Alisson to seal the tie with a 4-0. He sent the ball straight into the English keeper’s hands. Liverpool capitalized on that lifeline to mount one of the greatest comebacks in history: 4-0 at Anfield.
The most personal blow would come in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. Dembélé started against Argentina but committed the penalty that handed Messi the first goal of the night, giving Argentina a 1-0 lead. With the score at 2-0, Deschamps shockingly subbed him off in the 40th minute of the first half. France would eventually claw back to 3-3 and lose on penalties, but Dembélé never had the chance to participate in that epic comeback.
However, under the guidance of Luis Enrique at PSG, the “Mosquito” managed to reinvent himself entirely. His tactical and physical transformation was the absolute key to conquering the Parisian quadruple, culminating in the Ballon d’Or—the ultimate symbol of his sporting redemption.
👑 Women’s Ballon d’Or: Bonmatí’s Third Reign
At 27 years old, Aitana Bonmatí made history by becoming the first female footballer to win three consecutive Ballon d’Or awards (2023, 2024, and 2025), an unprecedented feat in the history of the women’s award.
The FC Barcelona midfielder was vital in her club’s domestic dominance and in the Catalan team’s triumphant European campaign. In the voting, she edged out Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal) and Alessia Russo (Arsenal), both of whom were decisive in the London club’s outstanding season.
🎉 A Gala to Remember
The 69th edition of the Ballon d’Or, awarded by France Football since 1956, took place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on September 22, 2025. For the second consecutive year, the ceremony was co-organized by UEFA and the Groupe Amaury.
Dembélé’s acceptance speech focused on the importance of never giving up and expressing deep gratitude to his family, PSG, and the French national team. It was an acknowledgment that crowned an exceptional season where he served as the centerpiece of the first quadruple in PSG’s history.
⚠️ Major Controversies
😠 Dissatisfaction from Lamine Yamal’s Camp
Lamine Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, heavily criticized the final results after his son placed second, stating publicly that something “strange” had occurred during the voting process. His comments sparked intense debate across social media and specialized press over whether Yamal, at just 17 years old and having won both the European Championship and the Kopa Trophy, deserved the main award.
🏟️ Accusations of Bias Toward PSG and Dembélé
Certain sectors argued that PSG’s first Champions League title disproportionately inflated the individual evaluations of their players compared to those from other clubs. The controversy was fueled further when PSG’s sporting director stated before the gala that if Dembélé didn’t win, it would mean the voters “lacked the competence” to decide—a statement many interpreted as undue pressure on the voting process.
😤 Raphinha and Other Undervalued Players
Several analysts pointed out that Raphinha, the top scorer of the 2024/25 Champions League with 13 goals and 9 assists, deserved a much higher placement than fifth. The fact that his statistically superior season ranked below several other players was one of the most hotly debated topics of the gala.
📊 Criticism of the Voting System
The 2025 edition renewed calls for greater transparency in the voting process, questioning the objectivity of certain voting journalists and the potential influence of non-sporting factors on the final result.
Conclusion
The 2025 edition of the Ballon d’Or cemented Paris Saint-Germain as the absolute dominant force in world football for the season, walking away with three individual awards and the collective recognition of Club of the Year. Ousmane Dembélé brought his story of resilience full circle with football’s most coveted prize, while Aitana Bonmatí wrote a historic chapter with her third consecutive title. And on the horizon, the confirmation of Lamine Yamal as the natural heir to an era that is only just beginning.