The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony saw more awards handed out than ever before, although much of the night’s discourse surrounded the triumphs of Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí for the most lucrative prizes.
While Bonmati claimed her third Ballon d’Or Féminin despite others, including Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey, arguably outperforming her in 2025–26, Dembélé triumphed for the very first time, having never previously been nominated for the award.
The Frenchman played a pivotal role in Paris Saint-Germain’s quadruple-winning campaign, and prevailed by the biggest margin of votes since Karim Benzema in 2022.
However, many more were recognised during busiest ceremony to date, including the sport’s brightest starlets. The inaugural women’s Kopa Trophy was won by Barcelona’s Vicky López, and there was no doubt as to who would claim the award in the men’s category.
Ballon d’Or runner-up Lamine Yamal became the first player to win the Kopa Trophy twice, after the award was first dished out in 2018. Unlike the most illustrious prize, the Kopa Trophy winner is not voted for by journalists, but by former Ballon d’Or winners, including Lionel Messi.
For the 2025 award, 27 of 31 former winners cast their vote, and here’s an overview of who voted for who.
