In a glittering ceremony held in Qatar on Tuesday night, French superstar Ousmane Dembele and Spanish maestro Aitana Bonmati were named the world's best footballers at the 2025 FIFA Best Awards.
A Night of Double Glory for Dembele and Bonmati
Ousmane Dembele, the electrifying winger for Paris Saint-Germain, added the FIFA Best Men's Player award to his 2024 Ballon d'Or triumph. The 28-year-old was rewarded for a phenomenal 2024/25 season where he was instrumental in PSG's historic quadruple, which included their maiden UEFA Champions League title. Dembele recorded an astonishing 51 goal contributions (goals and assists) in just 53 appearances for the French champions.
He saw off fierce competition from Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe to claim the honour. Dembele received the award just a day before he is set to lead PSG against Brazil's Flamengo in the Intercontinental Cup final.
Bonmati Makes History with Third Consecutive Win
On the women's side, Barcelona and Spain's Aitana Bonmati cemented her legacy by winning the FIFA Best Women's Player award for the third consecutive year. This follows her record-breaking third Ballon d'Or Féminin win in September. Her latest accolade recognises her role in Barcelona's historic quadruple and her continued dominance in the women's game.
England's national team manager, Sarina Wiegman, was named Coach of the Year for an incredible fifth time, underscoring her sustained excellence at the highest level.
Nigerian Interest: Nnadozie's Valiant Effort
The awards held special significance for Nigerian fans as Super Falcons' first-choice goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, was in contention for the Best Women's Goalkeeper prize. Having already been crowned Africa's best earlier in the year, Nnadozie narrowly missed out on the global crown, which was awarded to England and Chelsea's Hannah Hampton.
The men's goalkeeping award went to Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma, recognised for his outstanding season with PSG, which culminated in Champions League glory.
In other categories, Mexico's Lizbeth Ovalle won the FIFA Marta Award for the best women's goal with a spectacular scorpion kick, while Argentina's Santiago Montiel claimed the Puskás Award for his stunning overhead strike.
According to FIFA, the winners were selected by an expert panel based on performances between August 11, 2024, and August 2, 2025.
