Dembélé and Bonmatí Win Prestigious Ballon d'Or Awards
Ousmane Dembélé from Paris Saint-Germain and Aitana Bonmatí from Barcelona have won the prestigious Ballon d'Or awards in the men's and women's categories respectively. Bonmatí made history by winning the award for the third consecutive year, becoming only the third footballer to do so after Michel Platini and Lionel Messi.
Dembélé played a key role in leading PSG to their first-ever UEFA Champions League title. He beat Manchester City's midfielder Rodri to win the award, becoming the sixth French player to receive the Ballon d'Or after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema.
Bonmatí surpassed her Spanish teammate Mariona Caldentey to clinch the award. She is now the third female footballer in history to win the Ballon d'Or three times in a row. Previously, Platini (1983–1985) and Lionel Messi (2009–2012) had achieved the same feat in the men’s category.
Last season was a breakthrough for Dembélé. After being sidelined by coach Luis Enrique for disciplinary reasons, he made a strong comeback and turned into a scoring machine. He scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists in 53 official matches for PSG. In the Champions League alone, he was involved in 14 goals (8 goals and 6 assists) in 15 matches.
Dembélé was presented the trophy by former Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho. Holding back tears, he invited his mother on stage to celebrate the moment. Speaking in French, he said, "Winning this trophy is a great honor. Helping PSG win their first Champions League and being recognized individually is a proud moment for me."
Other Award Highlights
- Lamine Yamal from Barcelona won the Kopa Trophy for Best U-21 Player for the second year in a row.
- Barcelona’s Vicky López won the Women’s Kopa Trophy.
- Sarina Wiegman received the Best Women’s Coach award.
- Luis Enrique was named Best Men’s Coach.
- PSG won the Best Men's Club award.
- Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Yashin Trophy for Best Goalkeeper.
- Hampton was awarded the Best Women’s Goalkeeper.
- Barcelona’s Eva Pajor and Viktor Gyökeres received the Gerd Müller Award for top scorers.