Paris: In a glittering ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the football world’s brightest stars were celebrated as the winners of the 2025 Ballon D’Or awards were unveiled. The annual honours, recognising the best performances from the 2024-25 season, awarded excellence across multiple categories — from best players to clubs, goalkeepers, and coaches.
Rodri And Bonmatí Crowned Best Players
Men’s Ballon D’Or: Rodri claimed the top men’s prize for his commanding performances, both for his club Manchester City and the Spanish national side.
Women’s Ballon D’Or: Aitana Bonmatí held onto her status as the world’s best female player, securing the women’s Ballon D’Or once more.
Expanded Categories Raise The Bar
This year’s Ballon D’Or saw important additions and expansions to the awards slate, especially for women’s football.
Women’s Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper) and Women’s Gerd Müller Trophy (Top Scorer) have been introduced for the first time.
The Women’s Kopa Trophy (best young female player U21) is also now part of the roster.
Other Notable Awards And Highlights
A full suite of awards, including Men’s Yashin Trophy, Kopa Trophy, Johan Cruyff Trophies for best coaches, Club of the Year for both genders, and the Sócrates Award for humanitarian contribution, rounded out the honours.
The 2025 edition emphasised gender parity in awards, with equal recognition across many categories for men and women.
Ceremony Details And Voting Protocol
The awards covered player performance between August 1, 2024 and July 13, 2025 (club and international competitions) for men, while for women the window extended slightly due to differences in tournament schedules.
Nominees were selected by an international jury of sports journalists, with separate categories voted independently.
Discussion about this post