Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati claimed the women’s Ballon d’Or for the third year on the trot on Monday night as Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé took the men’s award for his starring role in his side’s glory-drenched ride to four trophies.
Dembélé becomes the sixth Frenchman to win the men’s prize since supremos at France Football.magazine established the award in 1956 to salute the best player in Europe.
Bonmati and her fellow Spaniard, Alexia Putellas, have harvested five of the seven women’s awards since its inception in 2018.
“It’s exceptional what I’ve been living through,” said Dembélé after receiving the award from the Brazilian former player Ronaldinho.
“It has been a great year with PSG and to win this trophy and collect it from Ronaldinho – one of the legends of our sport – is a moment of great pride for me.”
Choking back the tears, Dembélé praised coaches at his first club Rennes as well as those at Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona where he played before signing for PSG in 2023.
“Thank you to all the staff at PSG,” he added. And after singling out PSG coach Luis Enrique as a father figure, Dembélé said: “Thank you to all my teammates. You kept my spirits up in the good moments and the bad moments. Even if I’m picking up an individual trophy, it’s the collective that is ultimately winning.”
Dembélé leads the PSG pack
Dembélé was among eight PSG players who were vying for the men’s award. Gigi Donnarumma, who moved to Manchester City this month, was nominated for the accolade for his exploits as goalkeeper for the team.
The 26-year-old finished in ninth place in the voting but did not leave the gala ceremony empty handed.
The Italy skipper won the Trophée Yachine for his feats with PSG who were anointed team of the year.
Dembélé was at the ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in central Paris with fellow PSG nominees Désiré Doué and Joao Neves who missed the club’s trip for the Ligue 1 clash at Marseille due to injury.
The France international was hailed for his performances during an all-conquering 2024/2025 season.
He scored eight times and set up six goals in 15 matches during a Champions League campaign that culminated in a 5-0 annihilation of Inter Milan in the final in Munich on 31 May.
He also played a key role in PSG’s second successive domestic treble – French Super Cup, Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France.
Enrique won the Trophée Cryuff for male coach of the year award for steering the team to the triumphs.
Since taking over from Christophe Galtier in July 2023, the 55-year-old Spaniard has led his charges to successive domestic trebles and orchestrated the Champions League triumph.
Though there was a surprise loss to Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup in the United States, PSG recovered to win the Uefa Super Cup just before the start of the Ligue 1 season in August.
Strikers honoured with Gerd Müller Trophy
In other awards, Viktor Gyokeres received the Gerd Müller Trophy to honour the striker of the year. Playing for Sporting Lisbon and Sweden, he netted 54 goals in 52 matches to top the scoring charts across the continent.
The strikes helped Sporting win the Primeira Liga and Taca de Portugal.
Ewa Pajo at Barcelona lifted the women’s award while Arsenal’s women were handed the club of the year prize for their surge to the women’s Champions League crown in May.
“I’m proud to come from a club that started its women’s team in 1987,” said Arsenal coach Renée Slegers.
“Thank you to our owners and our supporters. They drive us with the sold-out crowds at the Emirates. Invest in women. Invest in women’s sport. When we do that, all of us benefit,” she added.
Lamal wins young player of the year
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who came second in the polling for the Ballon d’Or, won the Trophée Kopa for the best young male player under 21 for the second year on the trot.
The 18-year-old saw off the PSG duo of Doué and Neves as well as Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi.
“I’d like to thank everyone at the club and all my teammates and all my family,” said Lamal. “It’s important to keep working hard to be able to win more trophies.”
Barcelona striker Vicky Lopez won the Trophée Kopa for female players under 21.
In a double success for England, Sarina Wiegman was given the Trophée Cruyff as best female coach and the Chelsea and England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton took the inaugural Trophée Yachine for the best female goalkeeper.
Wiegman, 55, was hailed for leading the England national team to a second women’s European championships.
The Lionesses beat Spain following a penalty shoot-out at St Jakob-Park in Basel in July to retain the crown they won in 2022 at Wembley at the expense of Germany.
Hampton, 24, was saluted for a 2024/2025 season in which she kept 13 clean sheets in 22 league appearances for Chelsea.
The west Londoners won the English WSL as the first team to go unbeaten in a 22-game season.
She capped her season with crucial stops in England’s run to the European crown including two saves in the penalty shoot-out in the final.
