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Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé won his first Ballon d’Or award on Monday, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí captured her third straight Ballon d’Or Féminin at the annual soccer awards celebrating the best players in the men’s and women’s game.
The 69th edition of the awards was held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, whose hometown fans celebrated the victory for one of their own.
Chants of Dembélé’s name rang down from the theater’s balcony as the French footballer accepted the award from former Brazilian and PSG star Ronaldinho.
Dembélé had another brilliant season for the French giants, helping lead PSG to trophies galore, including the European treble of the Champions League, Ligue 1 and French Cup titles. He scored a remarkable 35 times last season.
The 28-year-old played in 29 league games, scoring 21 times along the way, but it was in the Champions League where his performances really stood out.
Meanwhile, no stranger to earning this award, Bonmatí has now been named the best women’s soccer player in the world for an incredible three years running.
The midfielder has dominated world football in recent years and was once again crucial to Barcelona Femení’s success last season.
Barcelona picked up a domestic treble as the side continued its stranglehold on Spanish soccer but the 27-year-old will no doubt be disappointed after losing two major finals against English opposition.
