THE BEST OF 2025: ANALYZING OUSMANE DEMBELE’S PSG TREBLE & BONMATI’S DOMINANCE.
Ousmane Dembele's historic UCL win and Bonmatí's treble dominance earned them The Best FIFA Football Awards. Analysis of the 2025 winners.
Ousmane Dembele won FIFA's The Best award after a great year with Paris Saint-Germain, where they picked up their first Champions League title and a domestic treble. Aitana Bonmati, the Barcelona and Spain midfielder, was also recognised in Doha, Qatar, for an awesome year. Her achievements include a domestic treble with her club and being named Player of the Tournament at Euro 2025.
Dembele Wins Again
Dembele finished the 2024-2025 season strong, adding the Best FIFA Men's Player award to his Ballon d'Or. This solidified his place as one of the best. The French forward was key in Paris Saint-Germain's historic run, securing the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France, and their first UEFA Champions League trophy. He also aided his team in achieving the Trophee des Champions and the Super Cup, for a total of five trophies in the 2024-2025 and the beginning of the 2025-2026 seasons.
With 35 goals and 16 assists, Dembele's play helped him edge out Barcelona's Lamine Yamal for the individual awards. Although Yamal, 18, had a super year himself, winning a domestic treble with Barcelona and Euro 2024 with Spain, which earned him the Kopa Trophy for best young player, Dembele's leadership in delivering PSG's first Champions League title made a difference in the voting. His comeback from an injury-prone player to a global star made his win a popular story.
Bonmati Dominates
Bonmati's 2024-2025 season confirmed her as a top player in women’s soccer, winning her third Ballon d’Or Féminin in a row. Despite a tough 1–0 loss to Arsenal in the Women's Champions League final, Bonmatí was named the season's best player for the third time, leading the competition with five assists and four goals.
At home, she led Barcelona to win all the Spanish titles, including the Liga F title, the Copa de la Reina, and the Supercopa de España Femenina. She also led Spain to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 final, where she was named Player of the Tournament. She finished the year by being named the Best FIFA Women's Player for the third time in a row on December 16, 2025.
How FIFA Awards Work
The Best FIFA Football Awards for men and women are decided by votes from four groups in the soccer world. The votes are split evenly between national team coaches, national team captains, media from each area, and fans on the FIFA website. Each group accounts for 25 per cent of the vote. Voters pick their top three for each category, with five points for first place, three for second, and one for third. Captains and coaches can’t vote for themselves. The player or coach with the most points wins.
Challenges Ahead
Dembele is in contract talks with Paris Saint-Germain, looking for a new deal after winning the Ballon d'Or, while also dealing with injuries. He aims to aid PSG in defending their Champions League title and stay in shape for both club and country as they head into next year’s World Cup. Bonmatí is focused on recovering from leg surgery, which will keep her out for a few months. As she is committed to Barcelona with a long-term contract, she wants to come back strong for the end of the season to help her team win back the Women's Champions League title and keep winning at home.
SCHEDULE SHIFT: LIGUE 1 POSTPONES PSG VS NANTES TO FAVOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREPARATIONS
Ligue 1 has officially moved PSG’s clash with Nantes to April, giving Paris a massive rest advantage for their game vs Chelsea.
PSG just got a big break ahead of their Champions League clash with Chelsea.
On Friday morning, the draw handed last year’s winners a tough last-16 matchup against Chelsea, the same team that beat them in the Club World Cup final back in July.
Luis Enrique and Liam Rosenior probably hoped to avoid each other until later in the tournament. But here they are, set to meet again, having crossed paths before thanks to Rosenior’s time at Strasbourg. The first leg lands on March 11 in Paris, with the return in London on March 17.
Originally, both teams had league matches wedged between those two legs. But now, Ligue 1 has given PSG a helping hand. They agreed to move PSG’s game against Nantes so Paris can focus on the Champions League. According to a statement from Ligue 1, the PSG-Nantes match will now take place the week of April 20, with the exact date still up in the air.
No word yet on whether Chelsea will try to shift their own fixture pile-up. The Premier League rarely grants these sorts of requests, so don’t count on it. Still, with Chelsea set to play Newcastle, another Champions League side, on March 14, both clubs would probably love a schedule change if they had the option.
Looking at the schedules, Chelsea’s road looks brutal. Between their trip to Arsenal this Sunday and March 21, they’ll cram in seven games. After Arsenal, they go away to Aston Villa, Wrexham in the FA Cup, and then PSG. Four times in three weeks, they get just three days to recover. Only twice do they have a four-day breather.
PSG’s calendar is a lot kinder. From March 1 to March 22, they play just four times. They’ll have an extra day to get ready for the first leg with Chelsea and three more days to rest up for the second game in England. In fact, between now and March 11, PSG only play once. Chelsea, meanwhile, faces three matches before heading to Paris. That’s a big advantage for the French club.
ARSENAL NEWS: ARSENAL VIEW SENNY MAYULU AS PRIMARY LONG-TERM SUCCESSOR TO KAI HAVERTZ
Arsenal have joined Chelsea and Man City in a €60m race for PSG’s Senny Mayulu, viewed as a potential successor to Kai Havertz.
Arsenal are looking to outdo Tottenham again this summer, this time by targeting PSG’s Senny Mayulu. Reports say Arsenal have joined the chase for the young playmaker, but they’re not alone; Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle are all interested too.
Last year, Arsenal snatched Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace right out from under Spurs. Eze hasn’t exactly been on fire, but he did manage to score in both games against Tottenham. Now, Arsenal seem ready to twist the knife a little deeper by making a move for Mayulu, someone Tottenham tried and failed to sign last September, according to TEAMtalk.
CaughtOffside now reports that Arsenal and Chelsea are front-runners for Mayulu this summer. What helps their case? Talks over a new contract between Mayulu and PSG have stalled, and as things stand, he’ll enter the last year of his deal soon. The sticking point? Salary. Mayulu wants more than PSG is willing to offer, but Premier League clubs have a bigger appetite for spending.
Apparently, Arsenal see Mayulu as a possible successor to Kai Havertz in midfield. He’s played up front at times this season, but he’s really a midfielder at heart. Chelsea is also pushing for him, and Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle have all tested the waters with informal approaches.
No doubt about it, Mayulu is one of the hot names ahead of the summer window. PSG have slapped a €60m (£53m) price tag on him, so they’re not letting him go cheaply. They might still try to keep him, but if he won’t sign a new deal, selling now makes sense.
So, would Arsenal be the right move for Mayulu? He’s made 28 appearances for PSG this season, scoring four and assisting five. Since coming up through their academy, he’s racked up 72 games, 11 goals, and nine assists. That kind of promise makes a Premier League move feel almost inevitable, even though he’s already at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
If he does head to England, Arsenal will want to win the battle, but are they really the best fit? That probably depends on who leaves Arteta’s squad. Right now, Arsenal’s attacking midfield is stacked: Havertz, Eze, captain Martin Odegaard, and Ethan Nwaneri coming back from loan. Mikel Merino can play the hybrid midfield/striker role, and even Bukayo Saka has shifted more centrally at times, though he’s really best out wide.
So, there’s a logjam in attacking midfield at Arsenal. Unless Arteta sees Mayulu playing deeper, he might find more opportunities elsewhere. There could be an opening for another central midfielder, especially since Martin Zubimendi has been a hit and Christian Nørgaard hasn’t made much of an impact.
Chelsea isn’t much different. Cole Palmer is their main attacking midfielder, but that hasn’t stopped them from chasing more talent. City has Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, but there are questions over Bernardo Silva’s future.
Honestly, staying at PSG and continuing to grow there might be the best option for Mayulu. If he decides to leave, he needs to pick a club where he’ll actually play. Chelsea could make sense if Palmer moves wide, but Newcastle might be worth a look, too. They’ve shown they’re willing to adapt roles. Nick Woltemade, for example, has dropped deeper but could move back up if someone new joins as a No. 10.
In the end, Mayulu’s next move should be about finding the right fit, not just the biggest name.
