Ballon d’Or results: PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati take home awards, make history

The favorite takes home the most prestigious individual award, much to the excitement of the crowd that was chanting his name before Ronaldinho read it and broke out into chants as he collected his trophy. He is taken away by the honor, using the word “exceptional” several times and name-dropping Ronaldinho before going into his thank yous. “Exceptional” is a fitting word — Dembele was essentially a supporting player in the elites of the game but got to be the star of the show for a new-look Paris Saint-Germain, enjoying a career-best season with 35 goals in all competitions and then a treble to go along with it.

The crowd cannot contain their excitement, interrupting his speech to break into chants again, but Dembele continues by reflecting on his journey and thanking his previous clubs. He’s now the sixth player to win the Ballon d’Or, joining very esteemed company.

French players to win men’s Ballon d’Or:

• Michel Platini: 3 (1983, 1984, 1985)
• Raymond Kopa: 1 (1958)
• Zinedine Zidane: 1 (1998)
• Jean-Pierre Papin: 1 (1991)
• Karim Benzema: 1 (2022)
• Ousmane Dembele: 1 (2025)

Ronaldinho is here to present the final award of the night, the men’s Ballon d’Or. The Brazil international won the award himself in 2005 and as expected, will hand the prize to either Ousmane Dembele or Lamine Yamal. Here are the players who rank from three to 10 this year:

3. Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain/Portugal)
4. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/Egypt)
5. Raphinha (Barcelona/Brazil)
6. Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain/Morocco)
7. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/France)
8. Cole Palmer
9. Gianluigi Donnarumma
10. Nuno Mendes

This might be the biggest surprise of the ceremony! Barcelona and Spain player Aitana Bonmati claims her third straight Ballon d’Or, which was no sure thing since this award usually goes to players who won a major trophy at either the club or national team level. The only players to win three straight before her were Lionel Messi and Michel Platini and says she did not dream of this as a kid because of historic underinvestment in the women’s game. She says she and her colleagues around the world “are more than footballers” and that young girls these days can dream about reaching the heights of the sport in a way she could not.

Bonmati now has the most Ballon d’Or wins of any player in the women’s game since the award was handed out for the first time in 2018, beating out her club and country teammate Alexia Putellas for the distinction.

Most Ballon d’Or Feminin trophies

• Aitana Bonmatí: 3 (2023, 2024, 2025)
• Alexia Putellas: 2 (2021, 2022)
• Ada Hegerberg: 1 (2018)
• Megan Rapinoe: 1 (2019)

The list is out for the women’s Ballon d’Or nominees ranked from three to 10, which means the final award is down to Aitana Bonmati, who has won the last two trophies in this category, and Mariona Caldentey. It means the award will go to a player from Spain for the fifth year running. Here’s the rest of the list:

3. Alessia Russo (Arsenal/England)
4. Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/Spain)
5. Chloe Kelly (Arsenal/England)
6. Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain)
7. Leah Williamson (Arsenal/England)
8. Ewa Pajor (Barcelona/Poland)
9. Lucy Bronze (Chelsea/England)
10. Hannah Hampton (Chelsea/England)

Men’s Champions League and World Cup winner Andres Iniesta is on the stage to present the women’s Ballon d’Or trophy, which has gone to a player from Iniesta’s former club Barcelona for the last four years. Will another one claim the prize or will one of the others break the streak? Here are the nominees:

• Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona/Spain)
• Lucy Bronze (Chelsea/England)
• Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal/Spain)
• Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain)
• Hannah Hampton (Chelsea/England)
• Chloe Kelly (Arsenal/England)
• Ewa Pajor (Barcelona/Poland)
• Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/Spain)
• Alessia Russo (Arsenal/England)
• Leah Williamson (Arsenal/England)

We’re down to the last two awards in Paris, with just the mens’ and women’s Ballon d’Or left to be handed out but first, there’s a musical performance to get through. The trophies are on the stage now, each of them in Louis Vuitton cases. Host Kate Scott is here with the fun facts — the trophies take about six months to make, are made of real gold and weigh around 26 pounds.

Charlene, Princess of Monaco takes to the stage to present the Socrates Trophy, named after the Brazilian player and activist and is in celebration of humanitarian and social causes. The award goes to the Xana Foundation, which was launched by Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique and his wife Elena Cullell to assist families with children battling serious illnesses. The foundation was named after their daughter Xana, who died at the age of nine in 2019 after a battle with bone cancer. Elena Cullell and the couple’s other daughter Sira accepted the award.

No surprise but Paris Saint-Germain win the Men’s Club of the Year award after becoming the first French team to win the treble and the second to win the UEFA Champions League. There’s a sizable pro-PSG contingent in the audience and president Nasser Al-Khelaifi stands in front of the microphone to accept the prize. He calls DJ Snake “the best DJ” and says he’s here in the place of the players, who just lost 1-0 to Marseille moments earlier (not that he mentioned the scoreline). PSG’s delegation were very much aware of what was happening in Marseille — the players were spotted watching the game on their phones.

And now, Javier Pastore and DJ Snake will present the award for the men’s Club of the Year. Here are the nominees:

• Barcelona (Spain)
• Botafogo (Brazil)
• Chelsea (England)
• Liverpool (England)
• Paris Saint-Germain (France)

Arsenal will take home the Women’s Club of the Year award after winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League, which is in accordance with the other awards of the night — four of their players are in the top 10 for the Ballon d’Or. Manager Renee Slegers is at the microphone speaking about a club that has been a pioneer in the women’s game over nearly 40 years and says the supporters have been with them “every step of the way.” She concludes by saying, “Invest in women. Invest in women’s sports. When we do that, all of us benefit.”

They’re changing things up with the presenters now with former Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina player Javier Pastore joined by DJ Snake, a longtime PSG fan. The pair will present the award for the women’s club of the year. Here are the nominees:

• Arsenal (England)
• Barcelona (Spain)
• Chelsea (England)
• OL Lyonnes (France)
• Orlando Pride (United States)

Former Champions League winner Luis Figo presents the Gerd Muller Trophy to the best forward in the women’s and men’s game, which go to Ewa Pajor (Barcelona/Poland) and Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal/Sweden).

Pajor reflects on the journey she’s taken from a small town in Poland to being on this stage in Paris, celebrates the fact that Poland qualified for the Women’s Euro for the first time in its history this year and is proud to be taking part in the growth of the women’s game. Gyokeres, meanwhile, thanks Sporting Lisbon since the won this because of his exploits in his final season in Portugal and said he’s been “hungry for goals” since he was a kid, adding that he’s excited about his new chapter at Arsenal.

Hosts Kate Scott and Ruud Gullit have introduced a montage to honor Liverpool and Portugal attacker Diogo Jota and his brother, fellow footballer Andre Silva, after their deaths in a car accident this summer. The family of the players are at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris tonight for the ceremony.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, now at Manchester City, is the second winner of the day to hail from Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League-winning squad. He was nominated alongside Lucas Chevalier — the person who succeeded him at PSG — for the award.

Hannah Hampton is the first-ever recipient of the women’s Yashin Trophy. Hampton is the second member of England’s Euro-winning team to win today and says she “stands on the shoulders” of the goalkeepers that came before her (one happens to be right there on stage with her as her predecessor at England, Mary Earps, presented the award). She also dedicates the award to Matt Beard, the former Chelsea and Liverpool manager who died over the weekend and was a pioneer of the women’s game.

Mary Earps and Gianluigi Buffon have hit the stage to present the Yashin Trophy, which rewards goalkeepers in the men’s and women’s games. This will be the first time the award will be presented to a goalkeeper in the women’s game, a change that both Earps and Buffon commend. Here are the nominees but before we find out a winner, there’s a short break.

Women’s Yashin Trophy

• Ann-Katrin Berger (NJ/NY Gotham FC/Germany)
• Cata Coll (Barcelona/Spain)
• Hannah Hampton (Chelsea/England)
• Chiamaka Nnadozie (Brighton/Nigeria)
• Daphne van Domselaar (Arsenal/Netherlands)

Men’s Yashin Trophy

• Alisson Becker (Liverpool/Brazil)
• Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal/Morocco)
• Lucas Chevalier (Lille/France)
• Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid/Belgium)
• Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain/Italy)
• Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa/Argentina)
• Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid/Slovenia)
• David Raya (Arsenal/Spain)
• Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest/Belgium)
• Yann Sommer (Inter/Switzerland)

Paris Saint-Germain Luis Enrique wins the men’s Johan Cryuff Trophy, though he is not in the building today since his side are currently losing 1-0 at Marseille with about 20 minutes to go. The win comes as no surprise after PSG won the treble last season, capped off by their first-ever Champions League title, so Enrique sent in a video message in which he dedicates the award to the players, the club president and the fans. He may not have been in the room but Enrique did receive rapturous applause from those at the Theatre du Chatelet.

Fabio Capello will also present the award for the top coach in the men’s game. Here are the nominees:

• Antonio Conte (Napoli)
• Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
• Hansi Flick (Barcelona)
• Enzo Maresca (Chelsea)
• Arne Slot (Liverpool)

A few short months after winning her third successive Women’s Euro, England’s Sarina Wiegman wins the Johan Cruyff Trophy for the very first time. It’s fitting in some ways — Wiegman hails from the Netherlands, just as the award’s namesake. She says she feels “connected” to Cryuff and his message of inclusivity. She thanks many who have lifted up the women’s game including Switzerland, the host of this year’s Women’s Euro, and hopes the sport can use its platform to fight misogyny.

Host Ruud Gullit, another Netherlands native, pleads with Wiegman to “please come back” but she says she’s sticking around in England.

Fabio Capello arrives to the stage to present the awards for the women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy. Here are the nominees:

• Sonia Bompastor (Chelsea)
• Arthur Elias (Brazil)
• Justine Madugu (Nigeria)
• Renee Slegers (Arsenal)
• Sarina Wiegman (England)

It’s a double for Barcelona in this category on the men’s and women’s sides, with Vicky Lopez taking the Kopa Trophy! The attacker scored eight goals in 34 games for Barcelona last season and was part of the Spain team that finished runners-up at this summer’s Women’s Euro.

Raphael Varane will also present the next award. Here are the nominees for the award that honors players under the age of 21:

• Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal/England)
• Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid/Colombia)
• Wieke Kaptein (Chelsea/Netherlands)
• Claudia Martinez Ovando (Club Olimpia/Paraguay)
• Vicky Lopez (Barcelona/Spain)

The Kopa Trophy is a crowning achievement of sorts for the game’s next best players and over the last 10 years has had a pretty solid track record in predicting which players would rise to the top of the sport. Here’s a look at the winners over the last decade and how quickly they broke into the game’s elites.

2018 Kopa Trophy: Kylian Mbappe

• Next season: 6th in 2019 Ballon d’Or

2019 Kopa Trophy: Matthijs de Ligt

• Next season: Not nominated (2020 Ballon d’Or canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic)

2021 Kopa Trophy: Pedri

• Next season: Not nominated in 2022 Ballon d’Or

2022 Kopa Trophy: Gavi

• Next season: Not nominated in 2023 Ballon d’Or

2023 Kopa Trophy: Jude Bellingham

• Next season: 3rd in 2024 Ballon d’Or

2024 Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal

• Next season: ?? in 2025 Ballon d’Or

For the second year in a row, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal wins the men’s Kopa Trophy! This comes as little surprise — the 18-year-old is far and away the most exciting player under the age of 21 and was considered the obvious favorite for the award. Time will tell if this is the only award he leaves Paris with tonight, though Yamal plays coy about whether or not he’s anticipating another award. Host Ruud Gullit asks if he’s ready for the big award and he shyly quips, “No.”

Champions League and World Cup winner Raphael Varane is out to present the award to the best men’s player under the age of 21. Here are the nominees:

• Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille/France)
• Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona/Spain)
• Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain/France)
• Estevao Willian (Chelsea/Brazil)
• Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid/Spain)
• Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal/England)
• Rodrigo Mora (Porto/Portugal)
• Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain/Portugal)
• Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
• Kenan Yildiz (Juventus/Turkey)

Canadian singer Charlotte Cadin opens the proceedings with her song “Feel Good” and now today’s hosts Kate Scott and Ruud Gullit are on the stage to kick things off.

Arsenal and Spain player Mariona Caldentey is the oddsmakers’ favorite to take home the women’s Ballon d’Or, which would make it the fifth year running that a Spanish player would win the award. Caldentey, though, admitted she does not have a speech prepared in an interview with Guillem Balague, instead of planning on just taking it all in after an impressive year for club and country.

It’s well-documented that Ousmane Dembele is the favorite for the men’s Ballon d’Or and that Lamine Yamal is his main rival for the award but who’s actually more deserving? The CBS Sports team debates just that — and maybe comes to the conclusion that no matter who wins, we’re just lucky to be watching them both at the peak of their powers.

The men’s Ballon d’Or is not the only trophy Lamine Yamal is up for today — he’s also a nominee for the Kopa Trophy, which goes out to young players. The list of contenders is impressive but Yamal may be a shoo-in for the trophy once again after winning the award last year. Here’s a look at the nominees.

• Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille/France)
• Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona/Spain)
• Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain/France)
• Estevao Willian (Chelsea/Brazil)
• Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid/Spain)
• Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal/England)
• Rodrigo Mora (Porto/Portugal)
• Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain/Portugal)
• Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
• Kenan Yildiz (Juventus/Turkey)