Sunday 22 September saw football’s best gathered to honour the achievements of various players, coaches, and organisations within the sport’s most prestigious individual award, the Ballon d’Or. The awards, given for the 2024-25 season, for the first time included men’s and women’s awards in all categories.
Ousmane Dembélé won the men’s award after a resurgent season at Paris Saint-Germain, winning a continental treble. Having struggled with injuries at Barcelona, the Frenchman signed for PSG in 2023 and has flourished since Kylian Mbappé’s departure to Real Madrid last summer, with 51 goal contributions in only 53 matches.
He beat a competitive group of nominees, including Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, as well as Mohamed Salah, who enjoyed a record-breaking season at Liverpool.
Aitana Bonmatí won the Ballon d’Or Féminin ahead of Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo, becoming the first woman to win the award three times consecutively. This summer, Bonmatí led Spain to the final at the Euros, netting the winning goal in extra time of the semi-final. Likewise, for Barcelona, she was central to the club’s domestic treble but ultimately lost the Champions League final to Arsenal. With the Euros still eluding her, she shows no signs of slowing down.
Lamine Yamal won his second men’s Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young player. He may be disappointed with second in the main category, but the 18-year-old won’t stop there. Also for Barcelona and Spain, 19-year-old Vicky Lopez won the inaugural women’s award after a breakout season. Much like Yamal, the midfielder has steadily improved her tally of goals and assists each season, establishing herself as a key player for both club and country.
The awards didn’t end there for the Spanish club, whose striker Ewa Pajor won the women’s Gerd Müller Trophy as the top goalscorer (43 for Barcelona and Poland). The men’s category was won by Viktor Gyökeres, who scored 63 goals for Sporting Lisbon and Sweden.
Gianluigi Donnarumma won the men’s Yashin Trophy after a particularly impressive Champions League campaign in goal for PSG. Hannah Hampton won the women’s award for her achievements with Chelsea and England. Chelsea became the first team to go unbeaten in a 22-game WSL season, but Hampton’s crowning moment came at the Euros final, where she saved two penalties in the shootout as England beat Spain to win the title.
Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman was named Women’s Coach of the Year, while PSG manager Luis Enrique won in the men’s category, as well as the Sócrates Award for the best humanitarian work by a footballer worldwide. Arsenal were named Women’s Club of the Year with seven nominees, with PSG named Men’s Club of the Year with nine.
But as the crowds of Parisians revel in their victory, their former starboy has made a statement of intent – with nine goals in seven games for Real already, could Mbappé be next?
Image credits: “Ousmane Dembélé World Cup Trophy” by Антон Зайцев is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.