The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony honored Ousmane Dembélé, forward for Paris Saint-Germain, for the first time in his career, making him the sixth French player to win this prestigious trophy. Thanks to an exceptional season, highlighted by PSG’s first Champions League title, Dembélé clearly outpaced his rivals with a total of 1,380 points in the final ranking. His offensive leadership and consistency were decisive factors in this well-deserved victory.
Behind him, Lamine Yamal, the young prodigy from FC Barcelona only 18 years old, confirmed his immense potential by taking second place on the podium, closely followed by Portuguese midfielder Vitinha, also from PSG, who completed this top three. Mohamed Salah from Liverpool finished fourth, while several rising talents and established players make up the Top 10, including Raphinha, Achraf Hakimi, Kylian Mbappé, Cole Palmer, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Nuno Mendes, illustrating the diversity of talent on the global stage.
Beyond the men’s ranking, the 2025 Ballon d’Or also saw Aitana Bonmatí win the women’s version for the third consecutive time, a feat that places her on par with Lionel Messi. Additionally, the Kopa, Yashin, and Gerd Müller trophies went respectively to Lamine Yamal, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Viktor Gyökeres, while notable first-time nominations were awarded to young prospects such as Michael Olise, ranked 30th, and Désiré Doué, 14th, who both honor French football.
This final ranking reflects a year rich in top-level performances, where young talents shared the spotlight with established stars, and where PSG asserted itself as an essential force in world football. The evening also highlighted some surprises, notably the drop in ranking of Erling Haaland, 26th, far from his usual top spots, confirming the new dynamic in European football for the 2024-2025 season.