Ballon d’Or 2025 ceremony summary: Dembélé, Aitana winners, votes, nominees

That's all folks!

Thanks for joining in with the AS USA coverage of the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony from Paris.

Joe

A tearful Dembélé tries to get through his speech

The winger had to stop a few times to compose himself as he accepted the individual award.

Here's how the men's Ballon d'Or ranking ended:

1st: Ousmane Dembélé

2nd: Lamine Yamal

3rd: Vitinha

4th: Mohamed Salah

5th: Raphinha

6th: Achraf Hakimi

7th: Kylian Mbappé

8th: Cole Palmer

9th: Gianluigi Donnarumma

10th: Nuno Mendes

And now, a selfie with the winners

(Sponsored by the phone in Ruud's hand, no doubt)

Dembélé with his trophy

What a smile!

A teary Dembélé finishes his speech to the adoring crowd

There is not a dry eye in the house as the winger continues to thank his family, friends, and teammates.

He has just invited his mother onto the stage.

Dembélé's stellar year

Ousmane Dembélé enjoyed a standout campaign for Paris Saint-Germain in 2024–25, producing the best season of his career.

Across all competitions he managed 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances, finishing as Ligue 1’s top scorer with 21.

Ousmane Dembélé's first words as the best in the world

"I have no words, this is incredible. I'm nervous up here, as you can see, it's not easy. To win this trophy that Ronaldinho gives to me is amazing, thanks to everyone: the president, the club, my teammates."

"Thanks to everyone at PSG, the coach, who has been marvellous and is like my father. To my teammates, thank you all so much. You have been with me through it all and we managed to get the trophies last season after a great year. Thank you."

"Thanks to Dortmund, Rennes, Barcelona, where I learned alongside great players. It was all part of the learning experience and the Ballon d'Or wasn't even on my list of things to win. Thank you."

And the crowd is going wild!

What a reception for the winger, who kisses the Ballon d'Or as he takes it from Ronaldinho.

Here are the top 8:

Nuno Mendes, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Cole Palmer, Kylian Mbappé, Achraf Hakimi, Raphinha, Mohamed Salah, and Vitinha.

That means it's between Dembélé and Lamine Yamal!

And to present the men's award

We've got the winner of the 2005 Ballon d'Or, Ronaldinho!

Aitana's sensational season:

Despite FC Barcelona's 1–0 defeat to Arsenal in the UEFA Women's Champions League final, Aitana's individual performances were outstanding. She contributed five assists and four goals throughout the tournament; in the league, she got 12 goals and 5 assists.

Here she is!

A three-time Ballon d'Or winner!

Aitana's victory speech:

"It's the third time in a row I'm here, this is an amazing place to be. This could have been anyone's, if I can share it I will, it's been a great year for me and my teammates. Iniesta and Xavi were my idols, thanks to them, to everything they showed me and everything they gave to football.

This is the first time the women have the same awards as the men, and this is the way forward.

Thanks to the club, my teammates, the president, thestaff, I can't do this on my own, it's a collective effort and I'm proud to have been here for so long, it's the club of my life.

Thanks to my family and friends, they remind me every day to be a better player and a better person.

"I didn't think women's football could get to this level, my idols are Iniesta and Xavi because I saw them on the TV, it's great to be here and I'm only here because of the collective effort of everyone."

Aitana gets her hat-trick of Ballon d'Or awards

The Barcelona midfielder continues to dominate the game on a global level, and she has once again made history with what is her third Ballon d'Or in 3 years.

We're back underway!

That was way too long. Let's see who takes the award.

At least the lads are having fun during the adverts

They must love Qatari planes.

Here is the list of the top 8:

Hampton, Bronze, Pajor, Williamson, Russo, Kelly, Guijarro, and Alexia.

That means Aitana and Mariona are the two finalists!

We've got a compilation of Andrés Iniesta's best moments, which is by far and away the thing I've enjoyed the most so far tonight. What a player in his day.

To present the women's Ballon d'Or we've got a real legend

Andrés Iniesta!

You can thank your deity that the show is over, now it's time for the Ballon d'Or!

But first...

You guessed it! A musical performance by *checks notes* Sadeck, who is doing a dance in a group with his arms.

Up next, the Ballon d'Or!!

Now we're being treated to a video of all the winners over the past few years.

The Socrates award is up next

This is goes to the best social engagement in the world of football over the past year.

Charlene Wittstock, the Princess of Monaco, is presenting it.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi speaks:

"It's an honour to be here in front of so many legends, and DJ Snake and Javier Pastore. This trophy means a lot for us, it's a collective victory and I want to thank my players who can't be here today."

A look at Lamine Yamal magic

We're still being subjected to qatari nonsense, so get a load of Lamine Yamal on the pitch, which is a trillion times more interesting.

Sarina's sensational record

What a fantastic haul of trophies, both collective and individual, for Sarina Wiegman.

One of the favourites for the men's Ballon d'Or

We've gone again to another advert for a middle-eastern airline, so here's a photo of Raphinha's cute kid.

Just a quick update:

Marseille have beaten PSG 1-0 in Ligue 1, Aguerd got the only goal of the game after 5 minutes.

Slegers sends a message of thanks:

Renée Slegers: "It's an honour for Arsenal to be recognised, I'm proud to stand here with a club that has been here for 38 years. I can't not reference our wonderful supporters, who have been wonderful."

Now it's time for the clubs of the year:

A man called DJ Snake is here now to give out this award. I think I must have drank something strange between the previous award and this one. He has got white hair and is wearing sunglasses indoors. But he is wearing a Palestine pin badge, so he gets my vote.

Javier Pastore is stood beside him.

A look at the goals from last season

We've got a nice clipped up video of the pair as they went about their goalscoring business last season. Some unbelievable bangers here from both of them.

The winners take to the microphone:

Pajor: "I'm grateful to be here. Thanks to my teammates, I couldn't do this without you and it belongs to our team. Every day playing with you makes me a better player. Thanks to all my coaches as well, who make me a better player and a better woman."

Gyökeres: "Thanks to France Football for the invitation. We had incredible memories at Sporting CP, and to be able to stand here is amazing, it's a great feeling to win this award. Thanks to my family for always being there."

Next up, the Muller award

No, it's not for the best yogurt, but the highest-scoring footballer in the previous season.

Luis Figo will present the award.

Now we've got a tribute to Diogo Jota

An emotional video is being played to the crowd.

Here's what they had to say:

Hampton: "It's an honour to win this, thanks to my family, who helped me live my dream. Thank you to everyone who believed in me, and of course the fans."

Donnarumma: "Thanks everyone. It's a pleasure and an honour to win this award. I am so happy with the results, and I want to thank the team, my ex-teammates, and it's thanks to them that I'm here."

Tick-tock...

We're still waiting for the gala to resume, so here's a few football results from around Europe:

Marseille 1-0 PSG (81')

Burgos 0-0 Granada (54')

Napoli 1-0 Pisa (HT)

Millwall 1-0 Watford (41') 

Time for a TV break...

A quick advertisement for a Qatari airline is currently being shown (shock), but that's a terrible piece of commentary for me to do, telling you about a plane. Instead, here's a Vicky López video published by Barcelona.

The nominees are:

Men's: Alisson, Bounou, Courtois, Donnarumma, and Sommer.

Women's: Berger, Cata Coll, Hampton, Nnadozie, and Domselaar. 

Now it's time for the Yashin trophies

Mary Earps and Gigi Buffon are here to present them.

Here's Vicky López with her trophy

The youngster is well deserving of the award.

He's not here today...

Luis Enrique is currently in Marseille as PSG take on their rivals in a postponed Ligue 1 game.

He did send in a video message: "Thanks to everyone who helped me this season, it was a magnificent season. Thank you to the president, Luis Campos, and the players. It's nice to win an individual trophy but the most important thing is the recognition of the fans."

A reminder of the men's nominees:

Conte, Luis Enrique, Maresca, Flick, and Slot.

Sarina Wiegman speaks in her victory speech:

"It's a special award for me to win, thank you. Sport is about uniting people, not dividing. It's named after Cruyff, who was all about bringing people into the game and especially the children. Thank you very much."

Here's the list of women's team nominees:

Bompastor, Elias, Madugu, Slegers, and Wiegman.

Capello will announce the winner any second now...

Confirmation of Lamine Yamal's win

What a season for the youngster.

Johan Cruyff trophy up next, for the best coach

Fabio Capello is about to reveal the winner. First, we've got the men's nominees:

Conte, Slot, Flick, Luis Enrique, and Maresca.

We've got a new trophy: the best play of the year.

It's an audience vote, which closes on September 25.

Richarlison, Doué, Mbappé, Alba, and Lamine Yamal all got the goals featured in the video.

Vamos Vicky!

The young Spaniard was signed by FC Barcelona from Madrid CFF, and since then has gone on to become a fixture in the side as well as the Spanish national squad.

"Thank you for this award, my family are the first thing that comes into my head. I dedicate this to my mother, who is watching over me from heaven, I hope you're happy, I miss you. I want to thank everyone at Madrid CFF, the Spanish Federation, and Barcelona."

Women's Kopa Trophy up next!

Here's the list of nominees: Agyemang, Linda Caicedo, Kaptein, Vicky López, and Claudia Martínez.

Lamine Yamal wins again

That's the second Kopa trophy in a row for Lamine Yamal, who played 53 times across all competitions last season, racking up more than 4,300 minutes on the pitch. In that time, he produced 18 goals and 21 assists.

Lamine Yamal speaks after receiving men's Kopa Award:

"It's an honour to be here again, thanks to Barcelona and the national team, as well as my family. My teammates, Raphinha and Cubarsí, have helped me a lot."

Have your say!

Salah, Dembélé, Lamine Yamal, or someone else?

Head over to Twitter and select your 2025 winner!

Welcome, Varane!

The former Real Madrid centre-back is here to present the award.

First up, the men's Kopa Trophy!

And the nominees are:

Doué, Lamine Yamal, Estevão, João Neves, and Yildiz.

While they're chatting away...

Here's a look at how Ronaldinho turned up to the ceremony today.

The song is over...

Kate Scott and Ruud Gullit are here to present the show this evening. Like the good ol' days with the Champions League draw.

The favourite for many looking cool on a big night

Dembélé, on the other hand, was in a serious mood as he made his way across the red carpet.

Another look as Lamine Yamal makes his way to the gala

The Barcelona winger was his usual smiley self as he joined the rest of the players in their seats at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

All about the trophy

One of the most iconic awards in the game, the Ballon d’Or trophy (the golden ball in French) is widely reported to be worth somewhere in the region of $3,000. It includes a pyrite base and the overall structure measures 31 cm in height and 23 cm in diameter, and weighs just over 7 kg.

Made with two brass plates that are soldered together to create the shape of a ball, the trophy is filled with a wax-like material and, on the outside, is bathed in gold.

Real Madrid will not be attending

Despite a number of players nominated for the award, it seems that Real Madrid will not be extending the olive branch out to the organisers of the Ballon d'Or in 2025.

Last season saw Vini Jr, widely tipped to win, snubbed at the last second as the club were due to travel to Paris. As such, they cancelled their journey to the French capital and have done the same this year, refusing to send any of their players to the event.

Ronaldinho speaks to camera on the red carpet:

A run through the favourites once again:

Here's the top 10 in the race for the men's trophy:

Ousmane Dembélé, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi, Cole Palmer, Kylian Mbappé, Nuno Mendes, Mo Salah, and Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Here's a look at Lamine Yamal on the red carpet

Surrounded by family, teammates, and colleagues, Lamine Yamal was all smiles as he made his way down the red carpet.

Dembélé will be at the gala tonight despite PSG's game

A major complication has emerged for PSG ahead of the ceremony. The club was scheduled to face bitter rival Marseille away on Sunday, September 21, but the match was postponed because of flood alerts in southeastern France.

Under Ligue 1 rules, games delayed in such circumstances must be played the following day. The rescheduled clash will now kick off at 8 p.m. local time on Monday, September 22, just one hour before the Ballon d’Or ceremony begins.

However, Dembéléis expected to accept the award in person if he wins. The former Barcelona winger is unavailable for selection because of a hamstring injury, as are teammates Désiré Doué and João Neves, who are also nominees.

More stars arrive in Paris...

PSG's Ousmane Dembélé, Desire Doué, and João Neves have both arrived at the ceremony; they're currently stood on the red carpet together in front of the flashing cameras.

Women's top 10 for the Ballon d'Or:

Lucy Bronze

Leah Williamson

Mariona Caldentey

Chloe Kelly

Alessia Russo

Hannah Hampton

Aitana Bonmatí

Alexia Putellas

Patri Guijarro

Ewa Pajor

It's not just the Ballon d'Or tonight:

As well as the premier individual prize in men's and women's football, there are a whole host of awards up for grabs:

· Men’s Ballon d’Or (best male player 2024-25)

· Women’s Ballon d’Or (best female player 2024-25)

· Men’s Kopa Trophy (best young male player)

· Women’s Kopa Trophy (best young female player)

· Men’s Yashin Trophy (best male goalkeeper)

· Women’s Yashin Trophy (best female goalkeeper)

· Men’s Gerd Müller Trophy (top scorer, male)

· Women’s Gerd Müller Trophy (top scorer, female)

· Men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy (best coach, male)

· Women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy (best coach, female)

· Men’s Club of the Year

· Women’s Club of the Year 

· Sócrates Award (humanitarian / solidarity award)

Lamine Yamal has arrived!

He's alongside the full Barcelona crew, including teammates Raphinha andPau Cubarsí, club president Joan Laporte, and manager Hansi Flick.

Andrés Iniesta on the red carpet:

All about Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal’s 2024–25 season was the year he truly established himself as the number on threat in Barcelona’s attack. Still only 17 for much of the campaign, he played with the confidence and maturity of a seasoned veteran, making 53 appearances across all competitions and racking up more than 4,300 minutes on the pitch. In that time, he produced 18 goals and 21 assists, giving Barcelona a steady stream of end product and proving himself decisive in big matches.

His contributions were central to the club’s domestic treble, with Yamal consistently stepping up in LaLiga, Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa.

If he's not the winner this year, then there's plenty of time for him to show us once again what he's got an claim the golden trophy.

Mariona Caldentey on the red carpet:

Liverpool have arrived!

Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, and Arne Slot have made their way down the red carpet in Paris.

Iniesta is present at the event

The former Barcelona midfielder never won the Ballon d'Or, coming closest to doing so in 2010, when he helped Spain lift their first ever World Cup.

Why is Rodri not nominated?

Last year's winner Rodri suffered a horrible cruciate ligament tear at the very beginning of last season that saw him miss out on practically a full season of football. While he is slowly but surely making his return to the game, things are being taken with caution in Manchester as they look to recover the world's best midfielder.

As such, his football playing time has been severely limited over the past months that means he was never in the race for the prize this year.

Mo Salah — is it finally his year?

Mohamed Salah delivered a remarkable 2024–25 season with Liverpool. He finished as the league's top scorer with 29 goals and contributed 18 assists across 38 appearances, amassing a total of 47 goal involvements—the highest ever recorded in a 38-game Premier League season.

Notably, Salah reached double figures in both goals and assists by December, marking the earliest any player has achieved this milestone in Premier League history.

Who's going to win the Women's Ballon d'Or?

It's somewhat more of an open question than the last few years that have seen Aitana Bonmatí walk away with the trophy. She has won a third (2/6) of all the women's trophies ever for best player in the world and last season was no different in terms of her output.

She lost the UWCL and Euros finals which harm her chances but that does not really change the mind of anyone who watched her on the pitch: the usual grace, dynamism, and steel was still there from the midfielder who is defining a generation in the game.

Raphinha also among the favourites

Raphinha, Barcelona's other electrifying winger, has an outside chance of being named the winner tonight.

The former Leeds United player had his most productive season yet for Barcelona in 2024–25: in LaLiga he featured 36 times, scoring 18 goals and supplying 9 assists across 2,845 minutes, averaging a goal contribution almost every match.

His efficiency in the final third was a major step up, with a 0.50 goals-per-game rate that underlined his growing influence. Across all competitions, the Brazilian’s output was even more striking, finishing the campaign with 34 goals and 25 assists in 56 appearances.

The men's top 10 has been revealed:

Ousmane Dembélé

Lamine Yamal

Raphinha

Vitinha

Achraf Hakimi

Cole Palmer

Kylian Mbappé

Nuno Mendes

Mo Salah

Gianluigi Donnarumma

The nominees are here:

Every year, France Football, who run the gala, provide a list of the top 30 male footballers in the world to be nominated for the prize.

Last season's winner, Rodri, is not on the list, but more on that later.

The red carpet has been rolled out for the stars as they arrive in Paris

The crowds have gathered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris ahead of the gala, which will get underway in around 90 minutes from now.

Here's the favourite...

In case you were wondering, Dembélé's suit is custom made by ZEGNA, an Italian luxury fashion house.

And here are the women's rankings:

11. Claudia Pina
12. Marta
13. Caroline Graham Hansen
14. Barbra Banda
15. Sandy Baltimore
16. Cristiana Girelli
17. Temwa Chawinga
18. Melchie Dumornay
19. Klara Bühl
20. Pernille Harder
21. Amanda Gutierres
22. Esther Gonzalez
23. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd
24. Sofia Cantore
25. Emily Fox
26. Lindsey Horan Heaps
27. Clara Mateo
28. Frida LeonhardsenMaanum
29. Steph Catley
30. Caroline Weir

The men's rankings so far:

12. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
13. Harry Kane
14. Desire Doué
15. Viktor Gyökeres
16. Vinicius Jr.
17. Robert Lewandowski
18. Scott McTominay
19. João Neves
20. Lautaro Martínez
21. Serhou Guirassy
22. Alexis Mac Allister
23. Jude Bellingham
24. Fabian Ruiz
25. Denzel Dumfries
26. Erling Haaland
27. Declan Rice
28. Virgil vanDijk
29. Florian Wirtz
30. Michael Olise

Barcelona arrive in Paris!

The Catalan team have touched down in the French capital ahead of the gala.

Sssshhhh...

Secrecy is a theme of the night, given the fact that the winner has often been leaked to the press on previous occasions.

Hours before the gala, nobody dares predict the outcome. France Football has tightened confidentiality, canceling the usual pre-ceremony interviews with honorees that in the past triggered awkward absences and inevitable leaks. Even with two clear favorites, the magazine has locked down any hint, clue or whisper that could sap the suspense.

Who is the favourite to win the men's award?

At the time of writing, PSG's Ousmane Dembélé is the favourite to take home the prise, having led the French side to their first ever UEFA Champions League last season.

Behind him sits FC Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who stepped things up once against last season and proved that he deserves to be talked about amongst the very best.

The final player making up the podium is PSG's Vintinha. While not an exciting goalscorer that grabs the headlines, the Portuguese midfielder managed to boss just about every team in Europe as his side claimed their continental victory last season.

What time does it begin?

The Ballon d'Or ceremony gets underway at 12 p.m. ET.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to an extremely exciting night of celebration in the world of football, as we gather in Paris for the Ballon d'Or 2025 ceremony!

It's Joe here to guide you through the glamour as it unfolds.