Ousmane Dembélé crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner

Paris Saint-Germain’s winger Ousmane Dembélé was crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner in Paris, marking the pinnacle of a season that brought PSG their long-awaited UEFA Champions League title. The 28-year-old Frenchman edged out Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and PSG teammate Vitinha to secure football’s most prestigious individual honour.

Women’s Category

In the women’s award, Aitana Bonmatí, Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder, won her third consecutive Ballon d’Or, further cementing her dominance in world football.

Selection Criteria

The Ballon d’Or is awarded annually to the best male and female players in the world, based on three key criteria:

• Individual performances
• Team achievements
• Fair play

The men’s Ballon d’Or is decided by an international jury of leading journalists from the top 100 countries in the latest FIFA rankings. For the women’s award, the jury is drawn from the top 50 countries.

About the Ballon d’Or

First awarded in 1956, the Ballon d’Or is presented by France Football magazine. Initially, only European players were eligible, but in 1995 the rules expanded to include non-Europeans playing for European clubs. Since 2007, all players worldwide have been eligible.

Between 2010 and 2015, the award was briefly merged with FIFA’s accolade and branded as the FIFA Ballon d’Or. After the split, FIFA launched the Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s Player Awards, but the Ballon d’Or has retained greater prestige due to its longer history and tradition.