Paris, 22 September 2025 — Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele is widely tipped to beat Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal to the men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday, with Aitana Bonmatí eyeing a third straight women’s award.
The glitzy ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris will crown the successors to last year’s winners Rodri and Bonmatí. With Rodri sidelined by injuries, 28-year-old Dembele has become the frontrunner after scoring 35 goals to help PSG win the Champions League, a domestic treble, and reach the Club World Cup final.
“It is nice after what was a wonderful season with PSG,” Dembele said. “I think it’s true that I am one of the favourites, but we will see what happens.”
At just 18, Yamal remains the strongest challenger. He netted 18 goals last season as Barcelona lifted La Liga and the Copa del Rey, building on his Kopa Trophy triumph for best under-21 player.
In the women’s race, Bonmatí remains favourite despite Spain’s Euro final defeat to England and Barcelona’s Champions League loss to Arsenal. Teammate Alexia Putellas and England stars Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo, and Chloe Kelly are also in contention.
The Ballon d’Or is decided by a panel of journalists — one from each of the top 100 FIFA nations for the men’s award, and one from the top 50 for the women’s.
