The football world converged in Paris for the prestigious 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony, celebrating the year's most outstanding individual performances. The evening saw multiple accolades awarded, with France international Ousmane Dembélé taking home the men's Ballon d’Or, Aitana Bonmati securing her third consecutive women's Ballon d'Or, and young talents Lamine Yamal and Vicky Lopez recognized with Kopa Trophies.

Ousmane Dembélé, the 28-year-old Paris Saint-Germain winger, was crowned the best player in the world, triumphing over rivals such as Lamine Yamal, Vitinha, and Mohammed Salah. His sensational 2024/25 campaign was pivotal in leading PSG to a historic treble, including Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the French Super Cup, and critically, the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League title. Dembélé's individual brilliance was highlighted by his most prolific season statistically, with 35 goals and 14 assists in 53 matches across all competitions. He was the joint top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals, earning him the Golden Boot, and was also named the French top-flight and Champions League Player of the Year. His decisive impact shone in high-stakes games, notably scoring the opener in the Champions League final and delivering crucial strikes against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the Club World Cup. He contributed 14 goal involvements in the Champions League, including two assists in the 5-0 final victory over Inter Milan. This remarkable season marked a significant career revival for Dembélé, who, after joining PSG for £43.5m in 2023, flourished following a tactical switch by manager Luis Enrique from a wide right to a centre-forward role in mid-December, after which he scored 30 goals.

While Dembélé claimed the ultimate individual prize, Barcelona's teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal was recognized with the Kopa Trophy for the world’s best young player for the second year running, beating competition from Desire Doue. Despite being the runner-up for the men's Ballon d'Or, Yamal's season was exceptional. He was instrumental in Barcelona's domestic treble, winning the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup in the 2024-25 season. Furthermore, he played a starring role in Spain’s triumphant run to glory at Euro 2024, setting records as the youngest player to appear in a European Championship final and the youngest-ever goalscorer at the tournament. For Barcelona, he contributed significantly with 18 goals and 25 assists last season, leading LaLiga in both categories. Other notable mentions in the men's Ballon d'Or top 10 included Liverpool's Mohammed Salah in fourth and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe in sixth. Barcelona's Raphinha, who finished fifth, was also influential in their domestic success, scoring 18 goals and providing 9 assists in La Liga, and topping both the goals and assists charts in the Champions League with 21 total contributions.

In the women's category, Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati made history by becoming the first player to win the women's Ballon d'Or three times consecutively, securing the award in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Her international team-mate, Arsenal winger Mariona Caldentey, finished second. The top 10 also featured five England players: Alessia Russo (third), Chloe Kelly (fifth), Leah Williamson (seventh), Lucy Bronze (ninth), and Hannah Hampton (tenth). Bonmati's win extends Barcelona's dominance, as their players have claimed the honour for five consecutive years, with Alexia Putellas winning in 2021 and 2022.

Further accolades for women's football included England manager Sarina Wiegman being named women's coach of the year for leading the Lionesses to victory at Euro 2025 in Switzerland, where they defeated Spain 3-1 on penalties. Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, who saved two penalties in the Euro 2025 shootout, received the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper. The Kopa Trophy for the best young female player went to 19-year-old Barcelona and Spain winger Vicky Lopez, who beat England striker Michelle Agyemang.