Paris (EFE).- The Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé and the Spanish Aitana Bonmatí won the Ballon d’Or 2025.
This was the first for the Paris Saint-Germain player and the third for the Barcelona player, who led the four Spanish victories at the Paris gala.
Dembélé, age 28, beat the Spaniard Lamine Yamal, who won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player, along with his teammate Vicky López, in the women’s category, which was awarded for the first time.
The French player, the sixth to win the Ballon d’Or after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema, saw his best individual season, which contributed to taking PSG to its first Champions League title.
“The Ballon d’Or was not a goal of my career, but it is something exceptional”, said the footballer, who could not hold back tears when referring to his mother, who raised him alone.
This season, he became the spearhead of a PSG that dominated the continent, especially after Luis Enrique placed him as a striker at the beginning of the year, to which the player responded with great offensive accuracy, with 35 goals and 16 assists.
For the third consecutive year, the award for women went to Aitana, despite her team’s loss at the Champions League and Eurocup finals.
Her personal contribution to the game was enough to surpass her compatriot from Arsenal, Mariona Caldentey, and the Englishwoman from the same team, Alessia Russo. Arsenal was chosen as the team of the year.
Legends like Michel Platini and Johan Cruyff are also three-time recipients of the Ballon d’Or.
Lamine received the Kopa award for best young player, his second consecutive one won by the Barcelona and Spanish national team star at 18.
The women’s trophy, awarded for the first time, was won by Barcelona forward Vicky López, 19, ahead of Real Madrid’s Colombian Linda Caicedo.
PSG also won the best club and best coach awards, while Luis Enrique won the Socrates award for best social work for the Xana Foundation, which he founded in the name of his deceased daughter.
Additionally, Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Yashin award for best goalkeeper, an award that, in its female version, was also given for the first time, went to the Englishwoman of Chelsea, Hannah Hampton.
The England coach, the Dutchwoman Sarina Wiegman, took home the Cruyff female, another award that debuted, thanks to her victory in the Eurocup. EFE
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