Ousmane Dembélé won the men's Ballon d'Or at a glittering ceremony in Paris on Monday, while Aitana Bonmatí claimed the women's award for the third consecutive year. The Paris Saint-Germain forward's victory was celebrated with pyrotechnics by fans outside the Théâtre du Châtelet, reflecting both his club's Champions League triumph and his own remarkable form since Christmas.
Dembélé's win marks a stunning turnaround from a year ago, when he was left out of PSG's squad to face Arsenal after a heated argument with his manager. A tactical switch by Luis Enrique, moving Dembélé into a central role, sparked a run of 25 goals in 20 games from December to March. The climax came in May's Champions League final, where PSG thrashed Inter Milan.
In the women's award, Bonmatí beat Arsenal's Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey, despite ending on the losing side to Russo in both the European Championship and Champions League finals. The evening was dominated by English football, with Sarina Wiegman winning the Johan Cruyff award for best female coach, Hannah Hampton taking the inaugural women's Yashin Trophy for goalkeeper of the year, and Arsenal being named club of the year.
Wiegman used her platform to call for vigilance as the women's game grows, saying: 'We have to take that responsibility and try to keep our industry welcoming and inclusive, a place where everyone belongs. I hope we can keep fighting together against misogyny and racism.' Hampton paid an emotional tribute to former Liverpool Women manager Matt Beard, who died last week.
Earlier, Lamine Yamal won the men's Kopa trophy for best young player for the second year running, while Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma claimed the men's goalkeeping award. Arsenal's Viktor Gyökeres received the Gerd Müller trophy as the highest-scoring men's player.
