Ousmane Dembele crowned Ballon d'Or winner as PSG dominate award night

Barcelona's Aitana Bonmatí continued her dominance in women's football by clinching the Ballon d'Or Feminin for the third year running

Ousmane Dembele was named the world’s best player of the season as he lifted the prestigious Ballon d’Or, capping a night of triumph for Paris Saint-Germain. The 28-year-old French forward, who inspired PSG to their maiden Champions League title last season, became the sixth French player to win the award and the first since Karim Benzema in 2022.

 

Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí continued her dominance in women’s football by clinching the Ballon d’Or Féminin for the third year running, underlining her position as one of the game’s most decorated players.

 

Why this matters

 

Dembele’s recognition marks a personal and collective breakthrough. Once considered an unfulfilled talent plagued by injuries, the forward has reinvented himself under PSG coach Luis Enrique. His Ballon d’Or reflects not only his resurgence but also the culmination of PSG’s long quest for European glory.

 

 

The award also highlights a generational shift. While Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated for nearly two decades, Dembele’s win signals a new era led by stars who are redefining football’s balance of power.

 

A tearful tribute and a team-first message

 

Accepting the trophy from Brazilian legend Ronaldinho in Paris, Dembele described the moment as “exceptional.” Overcome with emotion, he thanked his club, coach, and teammates for their support through both highs and lows, calling the honour “a collective achievement.”

 

He also paid tribute to his mother, Stade Rennais, and the French national team, vowing to help Didier Deschamps’ side secure another World Cup next year. “We have practically won everything together. This individual trophy is one the team has won collectively,” he said.

 

PSG sweep major honours

 

It was a historic evening for PSG, who swept the awards after a treble-winning campaign that included the Champions League, Ligue 1, and French Cup. The club was named Team of the Season, Luis Enrique took the Best Coach prize, and Gianluigi Donnarumma, now at Manchester City, received the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper.

 

“This is the result of hard work by everyone at the club,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. “We have young players and stars who work for the team. It’s a collective achievement.”

 

Bonmatí’s unmatched consistency

 

Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí collected her third straight women’s Ballon d’Or. She acknowledged the role of her teams in her sustained success, even as Barcelona fell short in the Champions League final this year.

 

“I’m amazed and proud because it’s a lot of hard work. I’m here for the third time in a row because of the teams I’ve been playing with,” Bonmatí said.

 

Ballon d’Or winners since 1956
Year	Winner	Nation
1956	Stanley Matthews	England
1957	Alfredo Di Stefano	Spain
1958	Raymond Kopa	France
1959	Alfredo Di Stefano	Spain
1960	Luis Suarez	Spain
1961	Omar Sivori	Italy
1962	Josef Masopust	Czechoslovakia
1963	Lev Yashin	Soviet Union
1964	Denis Law	Scotland
1965	Eusebio	Portugal
1966	Bobby Charlton	England
1967	Florian Albert	Hungary
1968	George Best	Northern Ireland
1969	Gianni Rivera	Italy
1970	Gerd Müller	West Germany
1971	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands
1972	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany
1973	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands
1974	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands
1975	Oleg Blokhin	Soviet Union
1976	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany
1977	Allan Simonsen	Denmark
1978	Kevin Keegan	England
1979	Kevin Keegan	England
1980	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany
1981	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany
1982	Paolo Rossi	Italy
1983	Michel Platini	France
1984	Michel Platini	France
1985	Michel Platini	France
1986	Igor Belanov	Soviet Union
1987	Ruud Gullit	Netherlands
1988	Marco van Basten	Netherlands
1989	Marco van Basten	Netherlands
1990	Lothar Matthäus	Germany
1991	Jean-Pierre Papin	France
1992	Marco van Basten	Netherlands
1993	Roberto Baggio	Italy
1994	Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria
1995	George Weah	Liberia
1996	Matthias Sammer	Germany
1997	Ronaldo	Brazil
1998	Zinedine Zidane	France
1999	Rivaldo	Brazil
2000	Luis Figo	Portugal
2001	Michael Owen	England
2002	Ronaldo	Brazil
2003	Pavel Nedvěd	Czech Republic
2004	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukraine
2005	Ronaldinho	Brazil
2006	Fabio Cannavaro	Italy
2007	Kaka	Brazil
2008	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal
2009	Lionel Messi	Argentina
2010	Lionel Messi	Argentina*
2011	Lionel Messi	Argentina*
2012	Lionel Messi	Argentina*
2013	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal*
2014	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal*
2015	Lionel Messi	Argentina*
2016	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal
2017	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal
2018	Luka Modric	Croatia
2019	Lionel Messi	Argentina
2020	Cancelled (COVID-19)	—
2021	Lionel Messi	Argentina
2022	Karim Benzema	France
2023	Lionel Messi	Argentina
2024	Rodri	Spain
2025	Ousmane Dembele	France
*From 2010–2015, the award was merged with FIFA’s World Player of the Year to create the FIFA Ballon d’Or.