Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati has made history by becoming the first player to win the women’s Ballon d’Or three times.
Bonmati, 27, took the award with her international team-mate, Arsenal winger Mariona Caldentey, coming second.
There were five England players in the top 10. Arsenal trio Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly and Leah Williamson came third, fifth and seventh respectively, with Chelsea duo Lucy Bronze and Hannah Hampton ninth and 10th.
Bonmati also won the award in 2023 and 2024. It means Barcelona players have won the honour in each of the past five years after midfielder Alexia Putellas earned the prize in 2021 and 2022.
Speaking on stage, Bonmati, who received the award from Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta, said: “My third time in a row here, and I still can’t believe it. Incredible. Thank you to France Football for this, for the third time – it really could have gone to anyone.
“If it was possible to share it I would, because I think it has been a year with an exceptionally high level, above all among my team-mates, who had a great year.
“Also to receive it from the hands of Andres Iniesta, one of my idols since I was little, alongside Xavi. I learned my football from them – to this day I thank them for all that they have taught me. Thank you to them for everything that they have done in football.
“I owe Barcelona everything – this is the club of my life. I hope to represent this badge for many more years.”
The award, officially called the Ballon d’Or Feminin, recognises the best footballer of the year and is voted for by a jury of journalists.
Outside the top 10, Arsenal defenders Emily Fox and Steph Catley came 25th and 29th respectively, with midfielder Frida Maanum ending 27th. Chelsea pair Sandy Baltimore and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd finished 15th and 23rd, while former Blues midfielder Pernille Harder was 20th.
Scotland and Real Madrid midfielder Caroline Weir finished 30th in the vote.
It was a great night for the Lionesses as manager Sarina Wiegman won the women’s coach award and Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton was named best women’s goalkeeper.
Paris Saint-Germain’s French international forward Ousmane Dembele has been named the men’s Ballon d’Or winner for 2025, with Barcelona’s Spanish international Aitana Bonmati claiming the women’s title for the third consecutive year.
Dembele helped PSG to its first Champions League title in May, and saw off strong competition from Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal, who helped the Spanish club to the La Liga title year, immediately off the back of his starring role for Spain in their Euro 2025 triumph.
There was better news for fellow Barca forward Bonmati, however, as she became the third person, behind former French international Michel Platini and Argentina legend Lionel Messi, to claim a hat-trick of titles.
Dembele succeeded Manchester City midfielder Rodri to become the sixth Frenchman to win it after Raymond Kopa, Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema.
Bonmati won ahead of her Spain teammate Mariona Caldentey.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele holds aloft the Ballon d’Or award [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
Dembele tops Yamal for club if not country
The award capped a remarkable turn of fortune for Dembele, who at one point last season was snubbed by PSG coach Luis Enrique for disciplinary reasons. But once repositioned as a No 9, he became a scoring machine and was inspirational in PSG’s historic Champions League campaign. The French club also completed a quadruple last season.
Dembele was praised after the Champions League final for the way he contributed to PSG’s pressing and his ability to defend during the 5-0 rout of Inter Milan. He delivered 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 official matches last season, and was involved in 14 goals (eight goals, six assists) in the Champions League in 15 appearances.
Dembele received the Ballon d’Or from former winner Ronaldinho and teared up during his acceptance speech, in which he asked his mother to join him on the stage.
“It’s incredible to win a trophy like this,” he said in French. “I worked for the team to help win PSG’s first Champions League. To then be rewarded with an individual trophy like the Ballon d’Or is truly exceptional.”
Barca forward Yamal, who turned 18 in July, also helped Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey last season, as well as the Spanish top flight, and to reach the Champions League semifinals. Yamal was given the Kopa award for the best under-21 player for the second straight year.
“I need to keep on working to win other awards in the future,” Yamal said through a translator.
Dembele was injured, but able to attend the ceremony in Paris, while his team lost at Marseille 1-0 in the French league. He was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men’s award, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, forward Desire Doue, who scored twice in the Champions League final, and winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati makes a speech after winning the women’s Ballon d’Or award [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
Bonmati rises from Spain defeat to claim third straight Ballon d’Or
Although Bonmati lost to England in a penalty shootout in the Women’s European Championship final last summer, she was named the best player of the tournament, which she began just days after being hospitalised for viral meningitis.
Bonmati’s spot kick in the shootout was one of two saved by England’s Hannah Hampton, who was voted the best women’s goalkeeper.
“Third time in a row here, and I still can’t believe it,” Bonmati said. “I owe Barcelona everything. This is the club of my life.”
She won a domestic treble with Barcelona and also reached the Champions League final.
Barcelona has won the last five women’s awards, but it was expected that an Englishwoman would win for the first time. England won the Euros, and Arsenal took the Women’s Champions League. But with five England players among the women’s top 10 nominees, the highest placed was Alessia Russo at third.
Other trophies at Ballon d’Or awards
Barcelona forward Vicky Lopez won the women’s Kopa trophy, and Sarina Wiegman, who led England to European victory, took the Johan Cruyff award for best women’s coach. On a great night for PSG, Luis Enrique won in the men’s category.
PSG was voted the best men’s club, and Donnarumma received the Lev Yashin award for best goalkeeper. Donnarumma, whose shot-stopping in the knockout stages proved crucial to PSG’s success, left for Manchester City during the offseason. Hampton was crowned the best women’s goalkeeper.
The men’s and women’s Gerd Müller trophies for the top scorers went to Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor and Viktor Gyokeres, who joined Arsenal this summer from Sporting Portugal after a prolific season.
Paris St-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele has won the Ballon d’Or, the award for the best player in the world, for the first time.
The 28-year-old France forward scored 35 goals and made 14 assists in 53 matches for PSG last season as they won the treble, including their first Champions League.
He was the joint top scorer in Ligue 1, with 21 goals, and named the French top flight and Champions League player of the year.
And he also helped PSG to the Club World Cup final where they lost to Chelsea in New Jersey.
Dembele, who beat Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal to the award, was able to attend the ceremony in Paris despite the fact his team were playing on Monday evening.
The forward is currently sidelined through injury, meaning he missed PSG’s 1-0 home defeat by Marseille in a game which was rearranged because of a storm.
The Spanish midfielder missed the majority of last season due to injury and will miss the start of the new campaign.
Midfielder Rodri is recovering from a “big injury” sustained during the Club World Cup, likely limiting the Ballon d’Or winner’s playing time in the early stages of the new Premier League season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says.
Guardiola did not disclose the details of the injury but said the 29-year-old Spain international picked up the problem during City’s 4-3 loss against the Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup in July.
British media reported Rodri has suffered a groin injury.
Rodri only made his return to competitive action in May after eight months out of action due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
“Rodri is getting better, but he had a big injury in the last game against Al Hilal,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday before Saturday’s friendly match against the Italian side Palermo.
“He has trained better in the last few days. Hopefully after the international break [in September], he will be really fit.
“Hopefully in these [first three Premier League] games, he can play some minutes, but what is important is that he doesn’t have pain because we don’t want Rodri coming back injured. We will try desperately to avoid that.
“He has been training the last two sessions with us, and that’s good.”
City, who finished third last season, begin their Premier League campaign away against Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 16.
Nine players from treble-winning Paris Saint-Germain have been nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or this year, along with the club’s coach Luis Enrique, as France Football announced its list of nominees.
Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Desire Doue, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha are all on the list of 30 players nominated on Thursday for the big prize.
Other nominees include Barcelona’s Raphinha (34 goals, 25 assists), Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (34 goals, 23 assists), who was named Premier League Player of the Season, and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (34 goals, five assists).
Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele celebrates with the trophy after winning the Champions League [Peter Cziborra/Reuters]
Scott McTominay, who won Serie A’s Most Valuable Player after guiding Napoli to the title, was also nominated as the first Scotsman in 38 years to make the shortlist. Barca’s Lamine Yamal (18 goals, 25 assists) made the cut while the 18-year-old winger was also nominated for the Kopa Trophy for best Under-21 player, an award he won last year.
Five England players were nominated for the women’s Ballon d’Or after their Euros triumph, including goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly and Leah Williamson.
Marta, who came out of retirement to lead Brazil to the women’s Copa America title at the age of 39, was also nominated. Along with Luis Enrique, Enzo Maresca, who guided Chelsea to the Club World Cup title, and Liverpool’s Arne Slot, who won the Premier League crown in his first season at the club, were nominated for the men’s Coach of the Year award.
The former spent most of last season injured with Manchester City, while Bonmati was a defeated finalist at Euro 2025 as England overcame Spain.
Current Ballon d’Or Women’s holder Aitana Bonmati looks dejected after Spain’s Euro 2025 defeat by England [Bernadett Szabo/Reuters]
The women’s coach nominees are led by Sonia Bompastor, who won a domestic treble at Chelsea, Renee Slegers, who took Arsenal to their second Champions League crown, and Sarina Wiegman, after she helped England retain their Euros title.
Ballon d’Or nominations in full
Men: Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Desire Doue, Denzel Dumfries, Serhou Guirassy, Viktor Gyokeres, Erling Haaland, Achraf Hakimi, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Robert Lewandowski, Alexis Mac Allister, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Scott McTominay, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Michael Olise, Cole Palmer, Pedri, Raphinha, Declan Rice, Fabian Ruiz, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Vinicius Jr, Vitinha, Florian Wirtz, Lamine Yamal
Men’s coach of the year: Antonio Conte, Luis Enrique, Hansi Flick, Enzo Maresca, Arne Slot
Women’s coach of the year: Sonia Bompastor, Arthur Elias, Justine Madugu, Renee Slegers, Sarina Wiegman
Men’s club of the year: Barcelona, Botafogo, Chelsea, Liverpool, Paris St Germain
Women’s club of the year: Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, OL Lyonnes, Orlando Pride
Yashin trophy men: Alisson Becker, Yassine Bounou, Lucas Chevalier, Thibaut Courtois, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Emi Martinez, Jan Oblak, David Raya, Matz Sels, Yann Sommer
Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who has previously been put in prison and banned from film-making in his home country, spoke out against the restrictions of the regime after winning the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Panahi picked up the prestigious Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident, described by BBC Culture as “a furious but funny revenge thriller that takes aim at oppressive regimes”.
He was cheered as he urged fellow Iranians to “set aside” differences and problems.
“What’s most important now is our country and the freedom of our country,” he said. “Let us join forces. No-one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do, or what we should not do.”
Reuters
Panahi received the award from Juliette Binoche and Cate Blanchett
Panahi’s last spell in prison, from which he was freed in 2023, was for protesting against the detention of two fellow film-makers who had been critical of the authorities.
His trip to Cannes was his first appearance at an international festival in 15 years, after being subject to a long travel ban.
It Was Just an Accident was shot in secret and based partly on Panahi’s own experiences in prison.
“Before going to jail and before getting to know the people that I met there – and hearing their stories, their backgrounds – the issues I dealt with in my films were totally different,” the director told the Hollywood Reporter.
“It’s really in this context (…) with this new commitment that I had felt in prison, that I had the idea, the inspiration for this story.”
Jafar Pahani Productions/Les Films Pelleas
It Was Just an Accident “slowly but surely builds into a stark condemnation of abusive power”, The Hollywood Reporter said
The film tells the tale of five ordinary Iranians who are confronted with a man they believed tortured them in jail.
The characters were inspired by conversations he had with other prisoners and “stories that they told me about, the violence and the brutality of the Iranian government”, the director added.
Panahi spent seven months of a six-year sentence in jail before being released in February 2023.
He was previously sentenced to six years in 2010 for supporting anti-government protests and creating “propaganda against the system”. He was released on conditional bail after two months, and was banned from making movies or travelling abroad.
He has vowed to return to Tehran after the festival despite the risks of prosecution.
“As soon as I finish my work here I will go back to Iran,” he told reporters in Cannes. “And I will ask myself what’s my next film going to be.”
The Guardian’s review described It Was Just an Accident as Panahi’s “most emotionally explicit film yet: a film about state violence and revenge, about the pain of tyranny that co-exists with ostensible everyday normality”.
“It’s another very impressive serio-comic film from one of the most distinctive and courageous figures in world cinema,” the paper’s critic Peter Bradshaw wrote.
Variety said Panahi had transformed “from understated humanist to open critic of the Iranian regime, as revealed in his punchy new political thriller”.
Panahi was presented with the Palme d’Or by French actress Juliette Binoche, who is this year’s Cannes jury president, and Australian actress Cate Blanchett.
Will the Oscars follow?
Introducing the award, Binoche said cinema and art are “provocative” and mobilise “a force that transforms darkness into forgiveness, hope and new life”.
“That is why we have chosen for the Palme d’Or It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi.”
In her introduction, Blanchett said: “I applaud the festival’s understanding that cinema creates openings for wider social conversations to take place.”
Panahi, 64, has now completed the rare feat of winning the top prizes from the Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals – and could now be in line for recognition in Hollywood.
Four of the past five Palme d’Or winners have been nominated for the Oscar for best picture.
However, It Was Just an Accident is unlikely to be nominated for the Oscar for best international feature. Films must have a cinematic release in their country of origin to be eligible for that prize, and Panahi’s films are banned in Iran.
Marking an extraordinary reversal of fortune, including stints in prison and house arrest during years of clandestine work when he was forbidden by authorities from directing, Iran’s Jafar Panahi triumphed at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, winning the event’s top award, the Palme d’Or, for “It Was Just an Accident.”
Appearing to bask in the vindication, Panahi clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back seated in sunglasses, savoring the moment while those around him stood in an ovation.
“It Was Just an Accident,” a tense drama of retribution about a torturer’s abduction by his victims, will be released in 2025 on an as-yet-unannounced date by Neon, the distributor that can now claim an unprecedented six-Palme winning streak, after 2019’s “Parasite,” 2021’s “Titane,” 2022’s “Triangle of Sadness,” 2023’s “Anatomy of a Fall” and 2024’s “Anora” all prevailed. (There was no festival held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
Through a translator, Panahi accepted his award humbly and spoke to the universal impulse to make art. “We don’t know why we do it,” he said. “It’s something I watch my small children do. They sing and dance before they can speak. But it’s another language. It could be a language of unification.”
This year’s Cannes jury was chaired by the veteran French star Juliette Binoche, who deliberated with a group sourced from several countries and disciplines. Jury members included the American actors Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong, India’s Payal Kapadia (director of “All We Imagine as Light”) and Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo.
Cannes’ runner-up award, the Grand Prix, went to “Sentimental Value,” a domestic drama about a family of artists directed by Norway’s Joachim Trier, who broke through in 2021 with “The Worst Person in the World,” which earned two Oscar nominations.
The festival’s Jury Prize — essentially third place — was shared by two movies: Oliver Laxe’s “Sirât” and Mascha Schilinski’s “Sound of Falling.” Ties are not unusual in this category; they’ve occurred as recently as 2022 and as far back as 1957, when Cannes honored both Ingmar Berman’s “The Seventh Seal” and Andrzej Wajda’s “Kanał.”
Taking both the directing prize and the award for best actor was Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent,” a Brazilian crime thriller set in 1977 starring Wagner Maura (“Civil War”). In the hotly contested category of best actress, where on-the-ground predictions varied between Jennifer Lawrence (“Die, My Love), Elle Fanning (“Sentimental Value”) and Zoey Deutch (“Nouvelle Vague”), Nadia Melliti pulled off an upset for her turn in “The Little Sister,” about a French Algerian teen living in Paris and coming out to her Muslim family.
The film is inspired by dissident director Jafar Panahi’s own experience in jail.
An Iranian thriller film that explores corruption and state violence in the country has won the the Palme d’Or, the coveted top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
It Was Just an Accident, directed by dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, was crowned at the world-famous festival on Saturday, hours after a power outage briefly threw the event off course.
The festival’s crowd burst into a roaring standing ovation for Panahi, who has endured years of travel bans and prison terms in Iran due to his provocative cinema, often produced in secret. He had been banned from leaving Iran for more than 15 years.
“Art mobilises the creative energy of the most precious, most alive part of us. A force that transforms darkness into forgiveness, hope and new life,” said jury president Juliette Binoche when announcing the award.
On stage, Panahi said what mattered most was the future of his country.
“Let us join forces,” Panahi said. “No one should tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, or what we should or shouldn’t do.”
Director Jafar Panahi, Palme d’Or award winner, shakes hands with director Hasan Hadi, Camera d’Or award winner for the film, The President’s Cake, on stage during the closing ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 24 [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
Partly inspired by Panahi’s own experience in jail, It Was Just An Accident follows a man named Vahid (played by Vahid Mobasseri), who kidnaps a man with a false leg who looks just like the one who tortured him in prison and ruined his life.
Vahid sets out to verify with other prison survivors that it is indeed their torturer, and then decide what to do with him.
Critics have praised the film as a clever, symbolic exploration of justice that blends dark humour with its intense themes.
Iraqi film “The President’s Cake” wins Best First Film
The festival’s Grand Prix, or second prize, was awarded to Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama, Sentimental Value, his lauded follow-up to The Worst Person in the World.
Kleber Mendonca Filho’s Brazilian political thriller, The Secret Agent, won two big awards: best director for Fihlo and best actor for Wagner Moura.
The jury prize was split between two films: Oliver Laxe’s desert road trip, Sirat and Mascha Schilinski’s German, generation-spanning drama, Sound of Falling.”
Best actress went to Nadia Melliti for The Little Sister, Hafsia Herzi’s French coming-of-age drama.
Cannes also honoured Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake with a best first film award, marking the first time an Iraqi film has won an award at the festival.
Director Hasan Hadi, Camera d’Or award winner for the film, The President’s Cake, and Alice Rohrwacher, president of the Camera d’Or Jury, pose after the closing ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 24 [Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters]
The Cannes closing ceremony took place after a major power outage struck southeastern France on Saturday, knocking out traffic lights and forcing businesses to close along the main shopping street in the Alpes-Maritimes holiday region. Police suspect arson as the cause.
Geopolitical tensions were also a constant backdrop at the festival, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the genocide in Gaza and US President Donald Trump’s proposal of tariffs on foreign-made films fuelling discussion.
More than 900 actors and filmmakers signed an open letter denouncing the genocide in Gaza, according to the organisers.
CARLOS BALEBA isn’t just here to make up the numbers, he’s chasing football’s ultimate individual prize and wants to leave an indelible mark on the game.
The 21-year-old Brighton midfielder is full confidence and charm as he reveals his dream of getting to the top of world football from his home in Hove after inviting me over for an interview.
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Carlos Baleba has wasted little time in settling into the Premier LeagueCredit: Rex
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Baleba is the latest midfielder being linked with a move away from BrightonCredit: INSTAGRAM @carlos_baleba
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Baleba was born in the same town as Samuel Eto’o in CameroonCredit: AFP
Baleba is dreaming of winning the Ballon d’Or, and says praise from Declan Rice and inspiration from Rodri’s success have convinced him it’s possible.
He told SunSport in an exclusive interview: “Declan Rice, Matheus Cunha, Joelinton, they’ve all told me I’ve got it in me.
“I want to win the Ballon d’Or like Rodri.
“I watched him during the Euros and before his injury I played against him and time I got the ball, he was right in front of me.
“It was my first game against Manchester City, and it was very difficult.
“He made it so hard to dribble or pass. That showed his class.
“His success has opened the door for midfielders like us to believe we can win the Ballon d’Or someday.”
Baleba is already making waves with his performances. The Cameroonian is the only midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues this season to register 30+ tackles, 30+ interceptions, 30+ clearances, 30+ take-ons, and 30+ aerial duels won, a stat line that shows just how complete his game is.
But for now, Baleba is focused on developing and not paying attention to the rumour mill.
Brighton players in tunnel post match after beating Bournemouth 2-1
He said: “Yes, I can get to the very top of world football.
“But I need to stay focused, stay calm, not rush, and not let what people write get in my head. If I keep working hard, I can be like Luka Modric or Toni Kroos, I just need to stay grounded.”
The Brighton star’s journey is nothing short of remarkable so far. Just three years ago, he was still in Cameroon, uncertain about his future.
When he finally got his breakthrough move to Lille, tragedy struck, he lost his mother, he says it was sudden and quick. It’s a pain that still drives him.
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Baleba spent just a season in France before Brighton made their moveCredit: Getty
He revealed: “It was very difficult for me because I didn’t see my mum. I wanted her next to me, but when I signed for Brighton, she wasn’t here.
“That’s why the first season was really hard. I thought about her a lot. But I vowed that I would be the best version of myself and go as far as I can in my career.”
The Premier League is the dream destination for many young African players, but Baleba warns it’s not for the faint-hearted.
“The intensity, if you don’t run, you cannot play in the Premier League. That’s the truth. You have to be willing to put in the hard work.”
What makes Baleba stand out isn’t just his football, it’s his effort to adapt to a new culture and language.
His English is still a work in progress, but he’s proud of the steps he’s taking to settle in, even if the British weather isn’t always his cup of tea.
“I love it here, to be honest. My favourite English food is the English breakfast, if I’m allowed to say that!.
“But the weather is the only issue, it changes all the time.”
Brighton will be hoping Baleba can continue his meteoric rise, following in the footsteps of midfield stars like Alexis Mac Allister, Yves Bissouma, and Moises Caicedo.
All arrived as unknowns but left as stars. The Cameroonian might just be the next one off the Seagulls’ midfield conveyor belt, and if he keeps dreaming big, he could go even further.
