Ousmane Dembele and Aitana Bonmati took top honours at the Ballon d’Or awards after being crowned the best men’s and women’s players.
Dembele, the favourite to win, beat Lamine Yamal into second place after helping Paris St Germain complete the treble in 2024-25, a haul that included Champions League glory.
The 28-year-old France midfielder was able to attend the awards ceremony in Paris even though PSG were playing Marseille on Monday night because of a hamstring injury.
Bonmati made Ballon d’Or history by becoming the first woman to win the award three times in a row.
The 27-year-old Spain and Barcelona midfielder joined Lionel Messi and Michel Platini as the only players to have been recognised for three consecutive years.
“It’s incredible this feeling. I never thought when I was a kid that I could achieve this because I didn’t think women’s football can exist,” Bonmati said.
“I had idols like Andres Iniesta and Xavi and when I was a kid I only saw them on TV. It’s incredible to be here and make history.
“But all of these trophies are because of collective work. We had a difficult season because we won some trophies, but we also lost some to amazing footballers.”
