The 2025 edition of the FIFA The Best awards crowned **Ousmane Dembélé** as the best footballer of the year. Alongside Aitana Bonmatí, the **Paris Saint-Germain** winger achieved a double of major awards this year, after winning the Ballon d'Or last September. In the 24/25 season, there was consensus between FIFA and 'France Football' in choosing the best footballers of the season
Dembélé surpassed Lamine Yamal in the voting with 50 points, 11 more than the FC Barcelona 'wonderkid', who along with Pedri González entered the 2025 Ideal XI. The podium was completed by Kylian Mbappé, with 35 votes. Further behind were Achraf Hakimi (PSG) and Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Raphinha, for his part, finished far from the top spots and also did not make it into FIFA's ideal team. Unlike the Ballon d'Or, in The Best, votes are distributed in equal percentages (25%) among **national team coaches and captains**, journalists, and fans.
After the gala held in Qatar, FIFA published all the votes from the election. Leo Messi chose Dembélé for first place, followed by Mbappé and Lamine. Luis de la Fuente, for his part, opted for Pedri as his first choice, Yamal second, and Mbappé on the podium. Unai Simón, as captain of Spain, placed Lamine, Pedri, and Nuno Mendes on the podium
Ousmane Dembélé, First Frenchman to Win FIFA The Best
For 'Dembouz', winning the FIFA The Best allows him to cap off a dream year after winning the Ballon d'Or and the treble with PSG. Furthermore, 'Le Mosquito' made history by becoming the first French footballer to win the award. Mbappé was second in 2022 and third in 2023, while Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema were third in 2016 and 2022, respectively.
After receiving the award, Dembélé thanked his teammates, club, and FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, for the distinction, which comes just before another final for Paris, the Intercontinental Cup in Qatar, against Flamengo.
"Hard work pays off. I thank my family and PSG, with whom we had a fantastic year. I hope to be back next year," said the Parisian '10' in his speech. Leo Messi remains the biggest winner of the FIFA The Best, with 3 awards (2019, 2022, 2023).
Following them are Cristiano Ronaldo (2016, 2017) and Robert Lewandowski (2020, 2021), while Luka Modric and Vinicius Jr. took home the trophy in 2018 and 2024, respectively. In the women's category, Aitana Bonmatí is the top winner with three consecutive awards (2023, 2024, and 2025), followed by Alexia Putellas (2021, 2022).
FIFA The Best Winners:
- Leo Messi: 2019, 2022, and 2023.
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 2016 and 2017.
- Robert Lewandowski: 2020 and 2021.
- Luka Modric: 2018.
- Vinicius Jr: 2024.
- Ousmane Dembélé: 2025.
PSG, the main protagonist of the FIFA The Best 2025 gala
As expected, Paris Saint-Germain took home the majority of awards at the gala held in Doha. The club received the awards for best coach (Luis Enrique) and best goalkeeper (Gianluigi Donnarumma), although the Italian is now part of the Manchester City squad.
In addition, **five Parisian players completed the ideal XI of 2025**, including Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Vitinha, and Dembélé himself. Donnarumma, Van Dijk, Cole Palmer, and Jude Bellingham completed the star-studded team alongside Lamine Yamal and Pedri.
Other winners of the day included Santiago Montiel (Puskas Award) for the best goal of the year with CA Independiente of Argentina, as well as Andreas Harlass-Neuking (Fair Play Award) for his work as a doctor for the German SSV Jahn Regensburg.
On the women's side, in addition to Aitana Bonmatí, Lizbeth Ovalle (Tigres of Mexico) received the Puskas, while Hannah Hampton (Chelsea) took home the award for best goalkeeper. The English manager, Sarina Wiegman, was chosen as the best coach of the year.
Regarding the Women's Ideal XI, it was finally comprised of Hannah Hampton; Lucy Bronze, Lea Williamson, **Irene Paredes**, **Ona Batlle**; **Aitana Bonmatí**, **Patri Guijarro**, **Claudia Pina**; Mariona Caldentey, Alessia Russo, and **Alexia Putellas**; a team with up to 6 players from Barça Femení