Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí win men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or awards
By David Close, Thomas Schlachter, CNN
(CNN) — Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé won his first Ballon d’Or award on Monday, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí captured her third straight Ballon d’Or Féminin at the annual soccer awards celebrating the best players in the men’s and women’s game.
The 69th edition of the awards was held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, whose hometown fans celebrated the victory for one of their own.
Chants of Dembélé’s name rang down from the theater’s balcony as the French footballer accepted the award from former Brazilian and PSG star Ronaldinho.
Dembélé had another brilliant season for the French giants, helping lead PSG to trophies galore, including the European treble of the Champions League, Ligue 1 and French Cup titles. He scored a remarkable 35 times last season.
The 28-year-old played in 29 league games, scoring 21 times along the way, but it was in the Champions League where his performances really stood out.
Dembélé scored eight goals and assisted on six others in 15 matches as he led a young PSG side to its first-ever Champions League crown.
While primarily utilized as a winger during his career, Dembélé often played down the middle for Luis Enrique’s side, spearheading a fluent and formidable front three, flanked by the dynamic Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The role suited the former Barcelona man as he was able to link play between his teammates and receive the ball in positions where he could cause the most damage for opposition teams – as seen during PSG’s historic night in Munich.
Despite not scoring, Dembélé was a constant thorn in the side of Inter Milan and set up two goals while also helping to create another during his side’s 5-0 win.
Dembélé was able to attend Monday’s ceremony as he is recovering from a right hamstring injury suffered during national team duty earlier this month. His teammates couldn’t celebrate in person as PSG faced Marseille on France’s south coast in a previously postponed Ligue 1 match. The reigning titleholders fell 1-0 on Monday, their first defeat of the season.
No stranger to earning this award, Bonmatí has now been named the best women’s soccer player in the world for an incredible three years running.
The midfielder has dominated world football in recent years and was once again crucial to Barcelona Femení’s success last season.
Barcelona picked up a domestic treble as the side continued its stranglehold on Spanish soccer but the 27-year-old will no doubt be disappointed after losing two major finals against English opposition.
Bonmatí’s Barcelona lost to Arsenal in the Champions League final before falling to England on penalties at Euro 2025. Despite this, Bonmatí remained a constant in the biggest moments in women’s soccer.
After accepting the award, she reflected on her role and the future of the sport.
“We are more than footballers. We are leading by example through all the world. For the new generations coming, I think they can dream about being footballers, not like our generation. They can dream it. This is the best thing we can achieve,” Bonmatí said.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal won the men’s Kopa Trophy for a second straight year, awarded to the best under-21 player. The 18-year phenom was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or. Completing the Barca and Spain sweep of the category, attacking midfielder Vicky López won the women’s Kopa Trophy.
The women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy winner (coach of the year) was England’s Sarina Wiegman. She guided the Lionesses to back-to-back Women’s Euro titles in 2025.
After leading his side to the Champions League and Ligue 1 titles last season, PSG’s manager, Luis Enrique, captured the men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy.
France Football has been honoring the sport’s best since 1956.
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