The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony kicked off tonight at 22:00 kabul time at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, where Ousmane Dembélé, the French star of Paris Saint-Germain, was crowned the winner of the world’s most prestigious individual football award.
kabul 24: Dembélé emerged victorious in a tight race against Lamine Yamal and Raphinha from Barcelona. Liverpool’s European struggles and Barcelona’s dominance in Spanish football diminished the chances of Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappé for the award.
Presented by France Football, the award is determined by votes from journalists representing the top 100 football nations. Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony for the second consecutive year; last year, Manchester City’s defensive midfielder Rodri edged out Vinícius Júnior in a close contest.
Due to PSG’s match against Marseille, most of their players couldn’t attend the ceremony, but Dembélé, Désiré Doué, and João Neves, sidelined by injuries or excluded from the lineup, made it to the event.
Lionel Messi holds the all-time record with 8 Ballon d’Or titles, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with 5 titles and a record 18 nominations. No other player has surpassed 3 Ballon d’Or wins.Several other awards were also presented tonight in both men’s and women’s football categories.Other Awards:Award
Men’s Winner
Women’s Winner
Details
Kopa Trophy (Best U-21 Player)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Vicky López (Barcelona)
Yamal, the 18-year-old prodigy, shone brightly in La Liga.
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)
Hannah Hampton (Chelsea)
Donnarumma’s numerous clean sheets in the UCL were pivotal.
Gerd Müller Trophy (Top Scorer)
Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting/Arsenal)
Ewa Pajor (Barcelona)
Gyökeres excelled with consistent goals in league and Europe.
Johan Cruyff Trophy (Best Coach)
Luis Enrique (PSG)
Sarina Wiegman (England Women’s National Team)
Enrique led PSG to a treble; Wiegman made England European champions.
Socrates Award (Humanitarian Efforts)
Zana Foundation (founded by Luis Enrique)
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For supporting children with serious illnesses.
World’s Best Club
Paris Saint-Germain
Arsenal (Women)
PSG won a treble; Arsenal claimed the European title.
Main Contenders for Men’s Ballon d’Or:Ousmane Dembélé (PSG, France): Stats: 53 games, 3,483 minutes, 35 goals, 14 assists, 49 goal involvements (one every 71 minutes).
Achievements: Key role in PSG’s Ligue 1 title, first-ever Champions League triumph, and Club World Cup final. Scored 21 goals in Ligue 1 (joint-top scorer), named Ligue 1 Player of the Season and UCL Player of the Season (8 goals, 6 assists, including 2 assists in the 5-0 final win over Inter). Scored in Club World Cup quarterfinals and semifinals against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Raphinha (Barcelona, Brazil): Stats: 57 games, 4,661 minutes, 34 goals, 22 assists, 56 goal involvements (one every 83 minutes).
Achievements: Helped Barcelona secure a domestic treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey, Super Cup). Scored 18 goals and provided 9 assists in La Liga, earning La Liga Player of the Season. Joint-top scorer in the UCL with 13 goals, including a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain): Stats: 55 games, 4,548 minutes, 18 goals, 21 assists, 39 goal involvements (one every 116 minutes).
Achievements: Instrumental in Barcelona’s domestic treble. Named La Liga Player of the Month for September, selected for La Liga and UCL Teams of the Season. Scored twice for Spain against France in the Nations League semifinals, though Spain lost to Portugal in the final on penalties.
Top 10 Men’s Players:Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Vitinha (PSG)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Raphinha (Barcelona)
Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Nuno Mendes (PSG)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)
Top 10 Women’s Players:Lucy Bronze (Chelsea)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona)
Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal)
Patri Guijarro (Barcelona)
Hannah Hampton (Chelsea)
Chloe Kelly (Arsenal)
Ewa Pajor (Barcelona)
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Alessia Russo (Arsenal)
Leah Williamson (Arsenal)
Top 30 Men’s Players (in descending order):Ousmane Dembélé
Lamine Yamal
Vitinha
Mohamed Salah
Raphinha
Achraf Hakimi
Kylian Mbappé
Cole Palmer
Nuno Mendes
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Pedri (Barcelona)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Désiré Doué (PSG)
Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting/Arsenal)
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Scott McTominay (Napoli)
João Neves (PSG)
Lautaro Martínez (Inter)
Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund)
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Fabián Ruiz (PSG)
Denzel Dumfries (Inter)
Erling Haaland (Man City)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
