At long last, the winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or award has been announced
Ousmane Dembele Crowned 2025 Ballon d’Or Winner as Lamine Yamal’s Reaction Goes Viral
After months of anticipation, the world’s top footballer was officially named during a glittering Ballon d’Or gala at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembele entered the evening as the bookmakers’ frontrunner and ultimately lived up to expectations, clinching the men’s prize. He edged out Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal, with Mohamed Salah and Raphinha also among the contenders.
Earlier in the night, the rankings from 30th to 11th were revealed, featuring big names such as Virgil van Dijk, Harry Kane, Désiré Doué, and Pedri.
The Kopa Trophy once again went to Yamal, who finished ahead of fellow young talents Estevão, Doué, Kenan Yildiz, and João Neves. Meanwhile, Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and England international Hannah Hampton were recognised as the world’s best in their position.
The Johan Cruyff Awards were also handed out, with England manager Sarina Wiegman taking the women’s honour and Luis Enrique receiving the men’s accolade.
As the main prizes were announced, Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí secured the women’s Ballon d’Or for the third consecutive year, cementing her dominance. The men’s crown, however, belonged to Dembele, who narrowly beat Yamal to the coveted award.
Yamal responded with grace, smiling, applauding, and later sharing a warm embrace with Dembele as the PSG star made his way to the stage. The Frenchman received a rousing welcome, greeted by chants before being presented the trophy by Brazilian icon Ronaldinho.
In his acceptance speech, Dembele expressed his disbelief:
“I have received this award from one of the greatest legends ever. I can’t believe it. This is a collective award, and I want to thank all my teammates. I also want to thank FC Barcelona, the club of my dreams. Playing alongside Lionel Messi taught me so much, and I’m grateful to him too.”
With this triumph, Dembele succeeds Rodri, last year’s winner, and adds his name to the illustrious list of Ballon d’Or greats.
