Recap of Ballon d'Or News and Updates from Paris
Ballon d'Or Ceremony Updates
By LEWIS BROWNING, SPORTS REPORTER
Date: 22 September 2025
The 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony took place at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, with Ousmane Dembele leading the candidates for the prestigious award.
The event concluded with Dembele winning the men's Ballon d'Or. Lamine Yamal finished second. Yamal and Dembele showed sportsmanship, with Yamal congratulating Dembele.
Brazil legend Gilberto Silva expressed the disappointment of coming second in such a competition. Yamal, only 18 years old, won the Kopa Trophy.
PSG, missing Dembele due to injury, suffered a 1-0 defeat against Marseille, causing them to drop to second place in the league below Monaco.
Dembele's victory marked him as the sixth French player to win the Ballon d'Or, following the likes of Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema.
Aitana Bonmati won the women's Ballon d'Or. PSG was booed by fans for their performance in the Club World Cup final.
The ceremony featured various awards, including the Socrates Award for humanitarian work, won by the Xana Foundation. Arsenal won the Women's Club of the Year award.
Hannah Hampton won the women's Yashin Trophy, while Gianluigi Donnarumma took the men's award. Sarina Wiegman received the women's Coach of the Year trophy.
The men's Kopa Trophy was won by Lamine Yamal for the second consecutive year. The ceremony concluded with Dembele lifting the Ballon d'Or trophy amidst chants of his name.
The event showcased various nominees and celebrities attending the ceremony, with Dembele and Yamal being the top contenders for the men's award.
The ceremony highlighted the achievements and rankings of the nominees, with Dembele emerging as the favorite for the men's award. The winners were determined through a voting process based on team performance and individual excellence.
The event also featured tributes, speeches, and a countdown to reveal the winners, creating anticipation among attendees and viewers.
The Ballon d'Or ceremony celebrated the best players, coaches, and teams in football, recognizing their outstanding contributions to the sport.