Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí Crowned at 2025 Ballon d’Or Ceremony
The 2025 Ballon d’Or night at Paris’ elegant Théâtre du Châtelet celebrated football excellence like never before. French winger Ousmane Dembélé and Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmatí took home the night’s top prizes, crowning weeks spent at Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona and shining bright in a season filled with trophies and unforgettable moments.
This year’s gala shone a special spotlight on female athletes. The women’s Kopa and Yashin Trophies were announced for the first time, rewarding rising stars and top goalkeepers in the women’s game. Dembélé and Bonmatí’s triumphs speak to stories of perseverance, technical flair, and game-defining performances on the sport’s grandest stages. Winning the Ballon d’Or is the highest honor in football, and the stories of this year’s champions cement their legends in the award’s long and celebrated history.
Ousmane Dembélé’s Meteoric Rise to the 2025 Ballon d’Or
Ousmane Dembélé’s path to the 2025 Ballon d’Or tells of raw genius that matured into season-long brilliance. The 2024-25 year with Paris Saint-Germain was the turning point, turning flashes of brilliance into steady, title-winning influence.
The Season of Domination
Dembélé powered PSG through a record-breaking year like a human jet engine. In a mere 49 matches across the board, he a netted jaw-dropping 33 goals while also laying on 15 assists. Those numbers made him the highest scorer in Ligue 1 and a key weapon in the club’s first-ever Champions League trophy raid. He snagged Ligue 1 Player of the Year, added the Champions League Player of the Season trophy to his trophy shelf, and pretty much placed the Ballon d’Or speech on a silver platter for himself. What a year!
A Journey of Resilience
Ousmane Dembélé’s climb to the 2025 Ballon d’Or has been a saga of sparkle and struggle. He lit up the pitch at Stade Rennais and earned a dream move to Borussia Dortmund, where one soaring year catapulted him to a blockbuster transfer to Barcelona in 2017. At Barcelona, Dembélé dazzled in bursts and pocketed silverware, yet injuries shadowed nearly every campaign. Returning to Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 felt like a clean slate.
That chapter opened, and he penned an unforgettable 2024–2025 season, the final pages of which scored him the world’s most coveted individual trophy. That triumph means he has lifted the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and now the most glittering individual prize, entering a select few who have turned that legendary Triple Crown evergreen.
Aitana Bonmatí: Securing a Historic Third Consecutive Ballon d’Or
Aitana Bonmatí’s 2025 Ballon d’Or locks her into the standard of eternity. The medal hangs heavy in the museum of women’s football, yet she has threaded another in a shimmering row, winning the prize for a record third run. Throughout her career, Bonmatí has been the puzzle piece that fits every winning set, stitching silverware into the tapestry of both Barcelona and the Spanish national team. The streak she stitched in Paris is a statement: excellence is her oxygen. Those who have seamed a trilogy of Ballon d’Or gold are counted in tones of history, an enclave no sport takes lightly.
Unmatched Technical Prowess
The Spanish midfielder, renowned for her unmatched skills, played a pivotal role in FC Barcelona Femení’s victorious season. Operating from the heart of the pitch, she steered the squad toward another historic continental treble. Her ability to dictate the game’s rhythm and her knack for clutch performances on critical occasions stood out week after week. With pinpoint vision, exceptional passing, and the ability to score from range in midfield, she is widely regarded as the most well-rounded player in the game today. Capturing the latest Ballon d’Or only cements her status as the benchmark for excellence in women’s football.
A Legacy of Winning
Bonmatí’s reach stretches well beyond club boundaries. She was the linchpin for the Spanish national squad, leading them to the crown at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and rightly lifted the tournament’s Golden Ball as its finest performer. This remarkable double of club and international glory has cemented her place on Ballon d’Or shortlists for the last three seasons, a period marked by both personal and team milestones never seen before.
The Prestige of the Ballon d’Or Award
The Ballon d’Or has stood as the gold standard of football honors since France Football first presented it in 1956. What began as a French-only award has grown into the signature trophy any football star dreams of lifting. The judging criteria remain crisp and classy: first, dazzling individual skill and moments that swing matches; second, how the player’s club performs, plus those sweet trophy cabinets; and third, elegance on and off the pitch, plus the age-old grace of fair play.
The trophy’s timeline is a timeline of football’s greatness. From the elegant dribble of Stanley Matthews to the filigree magic of Johan Cruyff, the dazzling artistry of Michel Platini, and the modern legend of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—who together account for a jaw-dropping 13 copies—we get a living museum on a marble ball. Jacob Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí stepped onto that marble in 2025, with Bonmatí becoming the rare player to collect a third. Whether male or female, any new name vaults into a circle that feels sunlight-lit.
How the award keeps evolving is as worthy of mention as its winners. By narrowing the judging window to the 10-month European season rather than the entire calendar blend of January and December, voters now carve a clearer snapshot of brilliance. The award ceremony has also morphed into something grander. Cameras roll, silk flowers bloom, and the world tunes in, transforming routine honoring into a 90-minute festival. The 2025 gala is already rehearsed in memory for crowning two of the era’s crown jewels on the same night.
Other Honorees at the 2025 Gala
The Ballon d’Or night also honored stellar talent across other categories, with members of PSG again making headlines.
Men’s Kopa Trophy (Best U21 Player)
Lamine Yamal of Barcelona took home the trophy, recording an incredible double by becoming the first-ever player to win it back-to-back years.
Women’s Kopa Trophy
In its very first year, the women’s version went to Vicky López, who dazzled with her performances in Barcelona’s colors.
Men’s Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper)
Gianluigi Donnarumma picked up the honor for the standout men’s keeper, reinforcing his reputation after an impressive season split between PSG and Manchester City.
Women’s Yashin Trophy
Hannah Hampton of Chelsea made history, becoming the first winner of the women’s Yashin Trophy with numerous stunning saves.
Men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy (Best Coach)
Luis Enrique collected the title of best boss after steering PSG to an unforgettable historic campaign in all competitions.
Men’s Club of the Year
Paris Saint-Germain received the deserved nod as the men’s Club of the Year, capping a glorious night of trophies for the French powerhouse.
A New Chapter in Football History
The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony was not just a night for shining trophies; it was a window into the future of football. Ousmane Dembélé took the top prize after a season of magic at PSG that left defenders chasing shadows. Right alongside him, Aitana Bonmatí lifted the statue for the third straight year, a feat that cements her as a living legend of the women’s game. These two champions have rewritten the rules of possibility, reminding every aspiring player that brilliance, grit, and bounce-back-ability can carry you to the summit. Once more, the Ballon d’Or has, in gold letters, locked two fresh legends into the book of football history.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/22/sport/soccer-ballon-dor-ousmane-dembele-aitana-bonmati
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