Ballon d'Or 2025: Dembélé crowned, a historic victory

The 2025 Ballon d'Or has been announced. Dembélé has won the France Football trophy and made history. A look back at an exceptional season and the reasons for his triumph.

Images from PSG to congratulate their player

2025 Golden Ball for Ousmane #Dembele
Congratulations to the 28-year-old French player from PSG! A great player and what a crazy season!https://t.co/GH6USIdNLn pic.twitter.com/ee0gom6wth
— Suisse blog (@suisseblog) September 22, 2025

The two golden balls

Dembélé and Bonmati (3rd consecutive)

https://twitter.com/ballondor/status/1970292307761979860

PSG Humor Official Account

The ball is sleeping in Paris this year!

Good night 😴 the balloon is sleeping 🤫
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) September 23, 2025

The football stars are coming

10 finalists

Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain)

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain then Manchester City)

Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)

Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)

Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)

Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

Raphinha (Barcelona)

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)

Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona)

Introductionn

The suspense is finally over: the 2025 Ballon d'Or was awarded tonight to Ousmane Dembélé. An edition marked by a close duel between two of the season's most outstanding players. The ceremony, organized by France Football, will be remembered for its intense debate.

A deserved trophy

Ousmane Dembélé triumphed thanks to a successful season with PSG, marked by a brilliant Champions League, impressive statistics and a constant influence on the Parisian game.

Complete ranking

Yasmine Yamal FC Barcelona, 2nd

Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), 3rd
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), 4th
Raphinha (Barcelona), 5th
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), 6th
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), 7th
Cole Palmer (Chelsea), 8th
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain then Manchester City), 9th
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), 10th

Then

11th: Pedri (Spain. 22 years old. Midfielder. FC Barcelona.)
12th: Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia. 24 years old. Striker. Naples, then PSG.)
13th: Harry Kane (England. 32 years old. Striker. Bayern Munich.)
14th: Désiré Doué (France. 20 years old. Striker. PSG.)
15th: Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden. 27 years old. Striker. Sporting Portugal, then Arsenal)
16th: Vinicius Junior (Brazil. 25 years old. Striker. Real Madrid.)
17th: Robert Lewandowski (Poland. 36 years old. Striker. FC Barcelona.)
18th: Scott McTominay (Scotland. 28 years old. Midfielder. Naples.)
19th: Joao Neves (Portugal. 20 years old. Midfielder. PSG.)
20th: Lautaro Martinez (Argentina. 27 years old. Striker. Inter Milan.)
21st: Serhou Guirassy (Guinea. 29 years old. Striker. Borussia Dortmund.)

22nd: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)

· 23rd: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

· 24th: Fabian Ruiz (PSG)

· 25th: Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan)

· 26th: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

· 27th: Declan Rice (Arsenal)

· 28th: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

· 29th: Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen then Liverpool)

· 30th: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)

The decisive criteria

The Ballon d'Or is based on several factors, and this year again, some tipped the scales:

Individual performances: goals, assists and consistency.
Collective titles: influence in major competitions (Champions League, national championships, international competitions).
Impact in major events: presence during decisive matches.
Style and media influence: the ability to make an impression beyond the numbers.

A duel that will go down in history

The battle between Dembélé and Yamal captivated fans. On one side, the experience and maturity of a player at his peak. On the other, the passion and youth of a prodigy destined to make his mark in the next decade.

Whatever the outcome, this duel will have confirmed that world football is in full transition, between established generations and new talents.

Switzerland, a passionate spectator

Although no Swiss players were in the running this year, the excitement was overwhelming across the country. Swiss football fans closely follow these awards, which reflect the evolution of the game and provide a source of inspiration for young local talent.

Latest winners

2024: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami / Argentina)
2023: Lionel Messi (Paris SG / Inter Miami / Argentina)
2022: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid / France)
2021: Lionel Messi (Paris SG / Argentina)
2020: Not assigned (COVID-19)
2019: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona / Argentina)
2018: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid / Croatia)
2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2015: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona / Argentina)
2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2012: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona / Argentina)
2011: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona / Argentina)
2010: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona / Argentina)
2009: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona / Argentina)
2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United / Portugal)
2007: Kaká (AC Milan / Brazil)
2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid / Italy)
2005: Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona / Brazil)
2004: Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan / Ukraine)
2003: Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus / Czech Republic)
2002: Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Brazil)
2001: Michael Owen (Liverpool / England)
2000: Luís Figo (Real Madrid / Portugal)

Conclusion

The 2025 Ballon d'Or crowns Dembélé, at the end of an exceptional season. This trophy rewards not only a player, but also a story: one of hard work, pure talent, and global impact.

The debate will continue for a long time, but tonight, football has its king.