Ousmane Dembele wins again! PSG's Ballon d'Or holder wins FIFA The Best male prize as Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati wins women's prize

Dembele capped a truly brilliant 2024-2025 season by adding the prestigious The Best FIFA Men's Player to the Ballon d'Or award he landed earlier this year, solidifying his status as the world's top footballer. The France forward was the driving force behind Paris Saint-Germain's historic continental treble, as the club secured the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France, and their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy. Beyond the Treble, he also helped his team win the Trophee des Champions and the Super Cup, completing an unprecedented haul of five trophies in a single calendar year across the 2024-2025 season and the start of the 2025-2026 season.

Dembele's exceptional performances, which included 35 goals and 16 assists across all competitions, saw him beat Barcelona's Lamine Yamal to both top individual honors. While the talented 18-year-old Yamal had a phenomenal year himself, winning a domestic treble with Barcelona and the Euro 2024 with Spain, ultimately securing the Kopa Trophy for the best young player, Dembele's leadership in delivering PSG's elusive first Champions League title proved decisive in the voting. His resurgence, from injury-prone talent to global superstar, made his victory a popular and compelling story. 

Bonmati's 2024-2025 season cemented her as the most dominant force in women’s football, highlighted by her historic achievement of winning a third consecutive Ballon d’Or Feminin. Despite a heartbreaking 1–0 defeat to Arsenal in the Women's Champions League final, Bonmatí was named the competition's Player of the Season for the third year running, having led the tournament with five assists and adding four goals. 

Domestically, she inspired Barcelona to a clean sweep of Spanish honors, securing a domestic treble consisting of the Liga F title, the Copa de la Reina, and the Supercopa de España Femenina. On the international stage, she guided Spain to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 final, where she was named Player of the Tournament. Her extraordinary year concluded on December 16, 2025, when she was crowned The Best FIFA Women's Player for the third consecutive time. 

The Best FIFA Football Awards for men and women are decided through a voting system that incorporates four major sectors of the football community. The decision is split equally between national team coaches, national team captains, specialist media representatives from each territory, and fans registered onthe FIFA website. Each of these four groups accounts for exactly 25 per cent of the total vote. Voters from these groups select their top three candidates for each category, awarding five points for first place, three for second, and one for third. To maintain integrity, nominated captains and coaches are prohibited from voting for themselves. The player or coach with the most cumulative points across all categories is declared the winner. 

Dembele's primary focus is navigating complex contract negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain, where he seeks a new deal following his Ballon d'Or win, all while managing recurring injuries. On  the pitch his goal is to help PSG defend their Champions League title and maintain consistent fitness to perform at the elite level for both club and country heading into next year’s World Cup. For Bonmatí, the immediate priority is a full recovery from recent leg surgery, which currently sidelines her for several months. Committed to Barcelona after signing a long-term contract, she aims to return strong for the crucial end of the season to lead her team in reclaiming the Women's Champions League title and continuing their domestic dominance.