Who Won the Ballon d’Or 2025? Winner, Date, and Full List

Few football awards stir conversation like the Ballon d’Or, and the 2025 edition delivered a story worth telling twice. On a cool September evening in Paris, Ousmane Dembélé – the PSG winger who spent years fighting injuries – lifted the men’s trophy for the first time, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí collected her third women’s award.

Men’s Winner: Ousmane Dembélé ·
Women’s Winner: Aitana Bonmatí ·
Ceremony Date: 22 September 2025 ·
Ceremony Location: Paris, France ·
Dembélé’s Ballon d’Or Count: 1st

The table below lines up six facts from the night.

Who won the Ballon d’Or in 2025?

Who won the men’s Ballon d’Or 2025?

• Ousmane Dembélé – Paris Saint-Germain, France – first Ballon d’Or win (UEFA, football’s European governing body)
• Top three in reported rankings: Dembélé, Lamine Yamal, Vitinha (The Independent, UK news outlet)
• PSG said it received a record nine men’s nominations for 2025 (Paris Saint-Germain, the winner’s club)

The pattern: Dembélé’s trajectory from injury-prone winger to world’s best mirrors the broader shift in modern football where resilience and tactical fit matter as much as raw talent.

Who won the women’s Ballon d’Or 2025?

• Aitana Bonmatí – Barcelona, Spain – third Ballon d’Or (2021, 2023, 2025) (The Independent, UK news outlet)
• Bonmatí also won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award earlier in 2025

The pattern here is consistency at the highest level. Bonmatí’s three wins in five years put her in a small group of women’s players who have dominated a generation. The implication: her Barcelona team’s success – four Champions League titles since 2021 – provides the platform, but her individual control of midfield matches is what keeps voters coming back.

When is the Ballon d’Or 2025?

What time did the ceremony start?

• The ceremony began at 20:30 CEST on 22 September 2025 (beIN SPORTS, broadcaster)

Where was the ceremony held?

• Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, France – the traditional venue for the Ballon d’Or (Paris Saint-Germain, the winner’s club)

The 69th gala ran smoothly, with the main awards announced by 22:00 CEST. For viewers in the US, the live broadcast started at 2:30 p.m. ET on UEFA.com and streaming platforms. The trade-off: a single time zone means fans in Asia and Australia had to stay up late – a perennial issue for a European ceremony.

What is the GOAT in football?

Who is considered the GOAT in football?

• GOAT stands for “Greatest of All Time” – a subjective label used in sports
• Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two players most frequently cited in the debate
• The Ballon d’Or is often used as a barometer, though it measures only one season’s performance

How is the GOAT debate related to Ballon d’Or?

• Messi’s seven Ballon d’Or wins and Ronaldo’s five are the highest totals in history
• Voters weigh individual brilliance, team success, and consistency – the same qualities that fuel the GOAT conversation

What this means: The GOAT label is more about narrative than numbers. Dembélé’s single win doesn’t put him in that territory yet, but his resurgence adds another layer to the discussion about what defines greatness in football.

Who won 4 Ballon d’Or in a row?

Which player achieved this feat?

• Lionel Messi – he won the Ballon d’Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012
• No other player has matched four consecutive wins

When did it happen?

• The streak spanned Messi’s peak years at Barcelona under Pep Guardiola
• During that period he scored 73 goals in the 2011–12 season, a single-season record in Europe’s top leagues

The relevance: That four-peat remains the benchmark for dominance. Dembélé’s victory this year is a single data point; to approach Messi’s streak, a player would need to sustain elite performance for half a decade.

Who won the 7 Ballon d’Or?

Who has won the most Ballon d’Or?

• Lionel Messi holds the record with 7 wins (as of 2023)
• Cristiano Ronaldo is second with 5 wins

How many Ballon d’Or has Messi won?

• Messi’s wins came in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021

The takeaway: Messi’s seven titles create a statistical ceiling that feels unreachable. For current players, even a third win – like Bonmatí’s – is an elite achievement. Dembélé’s tally of one puts him in a large group; the challenge now is to build on it.

For PSG, the night was historic: the club also won Men’s Team of the Year, and Luis Enrique took Coach of the Year (Paris Saint-Germain, the winner’s club). Dembélé’s journey from injury-prone talent to world’s best is a case study in perseverance. For the women’s game, Bonmatí’s third trophy reinforces Barcelona’s dynasty. For context on other football incidents, see our coverage of Diogo Jota Car Crash: Speeding, Tyre Blowout Details.

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