2025 Ballon d’Or Winner: Dembélé and Bonmatí

Ousmane Dembélé silenced years of critics by winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or, a prize that once seemed out of reach for the forward once labeled football’s “nearly man.” Aitana Bonmatí made history with her third consecutive women’s title at the 22 September 2025 ceremony in Paris.

Winner (Men’s): Ousmane Dembélé (France, Paris Saint-Germain) ·
Winner (Women’s): Aitana Bonmatí (Spain, Barcelona) ·
Ceremony Date: 22 September 2025 ·
Location: Paris, France ·
Men’s Runner-up: Lamine Yamal ·
Women’s Runner-up: Caroline Graham Hansen

The table below packs the essential facts.

The pattern: Dembélé’s win breaks the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly that defined the last two decades.

Who Wins the 2025 Ballon d’Or?

Men’s Winner Details

• Ousmane Dembélé, a 28-year-old forward for Paris Saint-Germain, claimed the men’s Ballon d’Or on 22 September 2025 (CNN).
• He became the sixth Frenchman to win the award, following Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema (Euronews).
• The runner-up was Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona), with Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid) finishing third (Euronews).

Women’s Winner Details

• Aitana Bonmatí, the Barcelona and Spain midfielder, won the women’s Ballon d’Or Féminin for the third consecutive year (CNN).
• She is the first woman to win three straight Ballon d’Or titles (Euronews).
• Runner-up was Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway, Barcelona), and third place went to Salma Paralluelo (Spain, Barcelona) (Sky Sports).

The implication: The 2025 Ballon d’Or winners represent a shift — from the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly to a new generation of talent, with Dembélé and Bonmatí leading the way.

Which Day is Ballon d’Or 2025?

Ceremony Date and Location

The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony took place on 22 September 2025 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France (ESPN). The 69th edition of the award began at 9 pm local time (Olympics.com).

The host organization is France Football magazine, part of Groupe L’Équipe, which has awarded the Ballon d’Or since 1956. The 2025 ceremony also included the Kopa Trophy, Yashin Trophy, Gerd Müller Award, and Club of the Year categories (Olympics.com).

The pattern: The Ballon d’Or has firmly planted its flag in Paris, returning to the same venue three years running after a decade of rotating European cities.

Why is Dembélé Winning the Ballon d’Or?

Season Performance

Ousmane Dembélé’s 2024–25 season was the catalyst. Paris Saint-Germain achieved a historic treble — winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and their first-ever UEFA Champions League title (Sky Sports).

“Ousmane Dembélé has won the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or, the first Frenchman to do so since Karim Benzema in 2022.”

UEFA.com (official governing body)

Key Achievements

• PSG treble: Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Champions League (Sky Sports)
• Led the Champions League in assists (8) and scored 4 goals in the knockout stage (UEFA.com (official data))
• Finished ahead of Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappé in the voting (Euronews)

Dembélé’s individual brilliance was shadowed by a team-first narrative — his assist numbers outshone his goal tally, raising questions about whether the Ballon d’Or increasingly favors playmakers.

Who Has Won the Ballon d’Or (Complete List)?

Ballon d’Or Winners by Year Since 2000

The Ballon d’Or has been awarded annually since 1956, with only one interruption (2020, cancelled due to COVID-19). Since 2000, the list shows a clear pattern of dominance by Lionel Messi (8 wins) and Cristiano Ronaldo (5 wins), but the 2020s have opened up the field.

Here is the complete list of winners from 2000 onward.

The catch: Since 2020, the men’s Ballon d’Or has gone to a first-time winner in four of the last five editions, signaling a less predictable race.

Source: Wikipedia (community encyclopedia) and Olympics.com (official Olympic content).

Notable Past Winners

• Lionel Messi: 8 wins (2009–2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024) — most in history (Wikipedia).
• Cristiano Ronaldo: 5 wins (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) (Wikipedia).
• The 2020 award was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the only year without a winner since 1956 (Wikipedia).

The pattern: Since 2020, the men’s Ballon d’Or has gone to a first-time winner in four of the last five editions (Benzema, Messi, Messi, Dembélé), signaling a less predictable race.

Frequently asked questions