Paris Saint-Germain Forward Oumane Dembele has leaned to beat Barcelona’s Sensation Ramin Yamal to win the Men’s Ballon d’Or Football Award, but Spain’s Aitana Bonmati can win the Women’s Award for the third consecutive time.
Here’s what you need to know about Ballon d’Or 2025:
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What is a Ballon d’Or?
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award in football, presented in recognition of outstanding achievements and extraordinary talent.
It has been released every year by French football since 1956.
What time will the 2025 ceremony begin?
The flashy awards ceremony, often considered a football Oscar, is scheduled to begin Monday at 7pm GMT.
Where will the Barondore ceremony be held?
The ceremony will be held at the Theatre du Chatelette in Paris, France.
Who is likely to win the Men’s Barondoor in 2025?
Dembele, 28, from France, has emerged as the most popular figure in the list of candidates dominated by Champions League winners PSG.
Nine members of the PSG team won the European crown for the first time in the 5-0 demolition of Intermilan feature among 30 candidates.
Yeah, only 18, stands out among other candidates, and has emerged as a Barcelona wing superstar and is considered the successor to Argentinean footballer Lionel Messi.
Other notable candidates include Viktor Gyokeres, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Cole Palmer and Liverpool’s 2024-25 Premier League victory, as well as key duo of Mohamed Sarah and Virgil Vandic.
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius juniors are also on the list. A year after Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony, the latter was furious that it had been overlooked for the award.
Why are Dembele and Yamal winning the Men’s Barondoor 2025?
Dembele appears to have an edge after an epic season. There, Killian Mbappe, who left, filled the gap left in Paris and scored 35 goals.
That contribution helped PSG complete the domestic clean sweep and reach the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.
It was an epic campaign for the French club and even more extraordinary for Dembele, with the Winger turning to the center.
Many PSG candidates will have to miss the ceremony after the match against Marseille was postponed by 24 hours on Sunday due to a storm in southern France. Dembele was injured but he was able to attend.
Meanwhile, Yamal won the Copa Trophy with the best player under the age of 21 at Barondo Gala last year.
He scored 18 goals in 55 matches as Barcelona scored Laliga and Spain’s Copa del Rey in all competitions last season, but they lost in the Champions League semi-finals.
What did Dembele say about his Ballon D’OR nomination?
“After a great season with PSG, that’s great,” Dembele told Le Monde when asked what it means to be a major contender for the award.
“I think it’s true that I’m one of my favorites, but we’ll see what happens.”
What did Yamal say about the Ballon d’Or?
“I don’t dream of winning one Ballon d’Or. I dream of winning a lot,” Yamal recently said.
Who was nominated for Men’s Barondoor 2025?
Ousmane Dembele (France/PSG) Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy/PSG) Judebelingham (England/Real Madrid) Desire Doue (France/PSG) Denzeldan Freeze (Netherlands/Inter Milan) Self-Geiracy (Guinea/Borsia Dortomland) Erie Harling (Sweden/Arsenal) Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/PSG) Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich) Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia/PSG) Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Barcelona) Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina/Liverpool) Lautaro Martinez (Argontowool/ (Scottish/Naples) Kylian Mbappe (France/Real Madrid) Nuno Mendes (Portuguese/PSG) Joao Neves (Portuguese/PSG) Pedri (Spain/Barcelona) Cole Palmer (England/Chelsea) Michael Oris (France/Bayern Mune) Rafina (England/Barcelana) (Scottish/PSG) Virgil van Dyk (Netherlands/Liverpool) Vinicius (Brazil/Real Madrid) Mohamed Sara (Egypt/Liverpool) Florian Wiltz (Germany/Liverpool) Vicinha (Portuguese/PSG) Raminyarmal (Spain/Barcelona)
How will the Ballondoor vote be held?
This award is voted based on achievements from last season, not past calendar years. One panel of journalists from each of the top 100 countries in FIFA’s world rankings voted for the winner.
Each ju umpire selects 10 players from a list of 30 candidates in order of achievement. Selected 10 players will receive 15, 12, 10, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point, respectively.
What do you need to become a Ballon d’Or? #ballondor pic.twitter.com/ruzmu94ov4
– Ballon D’Or (@ballondor) September 22, 2025
Who is your favorite to win the Women’s Barondoor 2025?
Barcelona and Spanish star Bonmati aims to be high-pitched in the women’s category.
The 27-year-old Bonmati is an extraordinary talent and was selected as a tournament player in the UEFA Women’s Euro in July.
However, Spain lost the final of the tournament to England by a penalty, and Barcelona also lost the final of the Champions League to Arsenal in May.
Her advantage is that it could work with either teammate and two-time former winner Alexia Peteras, there is no obvious standout from the England team that won the Euro.
Lucy Bronze, goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, Alesia Russo and captain Leah Williamson have all been selected by that side, as have Chloe Kelly, who scored a decisive penalty in the final.
Who won the most Barondoor or prize?
The award was long dominated by record eight winners, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The duo won the Baron de Or 13 times between them from 2008 to 2023.
Messi won the last of eight awards in 2023, and in 2017 the final Ballon d’Or of five winners Ronaldo came.
What are the other categories of Ballon d’Or?
Men’s Copa Trophy for Best Young Players Copa Trophy Best Young Players Copa Trophy Best Goalkeeper Jacin Trophy Best Goalkeeper Jacin Trophy Best Goalkeeper Men’s Guard Muller Trophy Top Scorer Women’s Maller Trophy Club of the Year Trophy Socrates Award Humanian Work