Dembélé FIFA Player of the Year: Haaland Snubbed

FIFA’s award ceremony “The Best” took place in Qatar on Tuesday evening.

In the end it was between Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal. Then it was the PSG player who drew the longest straw and was awarded “The Best” award for player of the year in 2025.

In September, the Frenchman also won the Ballon d’Or.

Dembélé is the fourth player after Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric to win both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s “player of the year”.

The Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s award were awarded jointly from 2010 to 2015. After that, FIFA and the French football magazine France Football went their separate ways: FIFA restored its own award, while France Football continued its Ballon d’Or award.

Barcelona star Aitana Bonmatí won the player of the year award for the third consecutive year on the women’s side.

Erling Braut Haaland was nominated for this year’s team on the men’s side, while Frida Maanum, Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten are nominated among the women.

No Norwegians got a place.

Erling Braut Haaland and Caroline Graham Hansen joined this year’s team in 2024.

These also won awards during the Fifa gala:

• Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma was named the FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
• On the women’s side, it was Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton who was named goalkeeper of the year.
• Santiago Montiel won the goal of the year, or the “Puskas Prize”, as it is called. The Independente player won it for his brass kick against Independiente Rivadavia in the Argentine top division.
• Sarina Wiegman, national team manager for England, won the “coach of the year” award for the fifth time on the women’s side.
• PSG coach Luis Enrique received the award as “coach of the year” on the men’s side.