When the lights go up in Doha or Zurich, and that heavy silver trophy starts glinting under the rafters, the world usually stops to argue. We call it the FIFA Footballer of the Year in casual conversation, but technically, it’s "The Best FIFA Men’s Player." It sounds like a small distinction. It isn’t.
Honestly, most fans still get this award mixed up with the Ballon d’Or. They think it’s the same thing. It’s not. One is a golden ball handed out by a French magazine; the other is a massive hunk of platinum and carbon issued by the governing body of the entire sport.
If you want to know who is actually running the show in world football right now, you have to look at the 2025 results. On December 16, 2025, in Doha, Qatar, Ousmane Dembélé didn't just win; he dominated.
The Night Ousmane Dembélé Topped the World
Nobody expected Dembélé to be the guy standing there a few years ago. But his 2024/25 season at Paris Saint-Germain was just ridiculous. He didn't just play well; he spearheaded a charge that gave PSG their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
The voting wasn't even that close. Dembélé finished with 50 points. The runner-up? Lamine Yamal, the teenage phenom from Barcelona, who pulled in 39 points. Kylian Mbappé took third with 35.
It's kinda wild when you think about it. The three best players in the world, according to FIFA's massive voting engine, were a 28-year-old Frenchman finally hitting his peak, an 18-year-old kid from La Masia, and a guy who has basically lived on this podium for five years.
Why this win felt different
Usually, these awards are a popularity contest for strikers who score 50 goals against bottom-tier teams. But Dembélé won because he was "decisive." He was the MVP of the Champions League and Ligue 1. He won a domestic treble. He even carried his team to the final of the first-ever 32-team FIFA Club World Cup.
The Best FIFA Men's Player vs. Ballon d’Or: The Great Confusion
You’ve probably heard people use these terms interchangeably. Don't be that person.
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The Ballon d'Or is older—started in 1956—and it's voted on exclusively by journalists. It’s prestigious, sure, but it’s a bit of an "old boys club" vibe.
FIFA's award is the "democratic" one. It’s basically a four-way split.
- National Team Coaches: 25% of the vote.
- National Team Captains: 25% of the vote.
- Specialized Journalists: 25% of the vote.
- The Fans: 25% of the vote.
If you registered on FIFA.com back in November 2025, you actually had a say in Dembélé winning. That’s why this award often produces different winners than the Ballon d’Or. The captains—guys like Lionel Messi and Harry Kane—see the game differently than a writer sitting in a press box.
Interestingly, for the 2025 cycle, captains like Messi and Marquinhos actually put Dembélé first on their ballots. They have to play against him. They know how much of a nightmare he is to mark.
What Most People Miss About the Voting Process
There is a weird rule that people always forget: you can't vote for yourself.
Kylian Mbappé, as the captain of France, couldn't put "Kylian Mbappé" at number one. He could, however, vote for his teammate Dembélé. And he did. On the flip side, Cristiano Ronaldo—who still votes as Portugal's captain—could vote for Portuguese teammates like Nuno Mendes.
The points system is simple but punishing:
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- 1st Place: 5 points
- 2nd Place: 3 points
- 3rd Place: 1 point
If you aren't consistently in everyone's top three, you vanish from the rankings. This is why players who have one amazing month but a mediocre season rarely win the FIFA Footballer of the Year title. It requires a sustained, high-level grind from August to August.
A Legacy of Greatness (and Messi)
If you look back at the history, it’s basically been the Messi and Ronaldo show for two decades.
Messi has eight Ballon d'Ors but only three "The Best" FIFA trophies (since the rebranding in 2016). Ronaldo has two. Robert Lewandowski actually tied Ronaldo with two wins during his peak Bayern Munich years.
But 2024 and 2025 signaled a massive shift. In 2024, Vinícius Jr. took the crown. In 2025, it was Dembélé. We are officially in the "post-GOAT" era. The throne is wide open, and the variety of winners proves that the old guard has finally stepped aside.
The Women's Game: The Bonmatí Dynasty
While the men’s side is chaotic, the women’s FIFA Footballer of the Year is currently a one-woman show.
Aitana Bonmatí is inevitable.
In December 2025, she won her third straight FIFA award. Three in a row. She joined the ranks of Lionel Messi and Michel Platini as the only humans to ever pull off a hat-trick of "Best" awards. She beat out her Barcelona teammates Mariona Caldentey and Alexia Putellas to do it.
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Spain and Barcelona are essentially a factory for world-class talent right now. It's almost unfair.
The Full 2025 Winners List
If you missed the gala, here is the breakdown of who actually walked away with the silverware in Doha:
- The Best Men's Player: Ousmane Dembélé (PSG/France)
- The Best Women's Player: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona/Spain)
- The Best Men's Coach: Luis Enrique (PSG)
- The Best Women's Coach: Sarina Wiegman (England)
- The Best Men's Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Man City/Italy)
- The Best Women's Goalkeeper: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea/England)
- Puskás Award (Best Goal): Santiago Montiel
One shocker was Donnarumma. He won the award for his time at PSG but had already moved to Manchester City by the time he picked up the trophy. The award cycles are based on the football season (August to August), so transfer windows can make the ceremony look a little confusing.
How to Track Future Winners
If you want to stay ahead of the curve for the 2026 award, you need to watch the 2026 World Cup. It's the ultimate weight.
FIFA almost always gives the trophy to the star of the World Cup in a tournament year. If Lamine Yamal leads Spain to glory in the summer of '26, he’s a lock. If a dark horse like Cole Palmer or Jude Bellingham dominates the tournament, the 2025 rankings won't matter.
Expert Tip: Don't just look at goal stats. Look at who is winning the "Player of the Match" awards in the Champions League knockout stages. That is where the 25% "Media" and 25% "Captain" blocks make their decisions.
The best way to participate is to keep an eye on the FIFA+ app around November. That's when the fan voting portal opens. You get to be part of the 25% that decides who becomes the next FIFA Footballer of the Year.
To get ready for the next cycle, start following the performance metrics of the top 10 nominees on official tracking sites like FBRef or Opta. Pay attention to "expected assists" (xA) and "progressive carries"—these are the modern stats that coaches and journalists now use to justify their votes beyond just looking at the scoreboard.
Stay updated on the 2026 World Cup qualifying rounds, as international performance often acts as the tie-breaker for the national team coaches who hold a quarter of the voting power.