BALLON D'OR
Benzema deserves to win Ballon d’Or, says Messi
Real Madrid’s French striker Karim Benzema deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this year after helping to guide his team to the Champions League title, seven-times winner of the award Lionel Messi said on Monday (May 30).
Benzema had the best season of his 13-year career at Real, scoring 44 goals with 15 assists in all competitions as they won a LaLiga-Champions League double.
The 34-year-old topped the scoring charts in both competitions and netted hat-tricks against Paris St Germain and Chelsea in the knockout stages to secure Real’s progress.
“There are no doubts, it’s very clear that Benzema had a spectacular year and ended up victorious in the Champions League,” PSG forward Messi said on Argentine television. “He was fundamental in all the matches from the round of 16 onwards. I think there is no doubt this year.”
The Ballon d’Or award for the best soccer player in the world will be presented on Oct. 17, with the nominees set to be revealed on Aug 12.
The prestigious trophy will now be awarded on the basis of a regular season from August to July rather than a calendar year.
Real Madrid’s victory over Liverpool gave them their 14th European Cup triumph – twice as many as the next most successful team AC Milan.
Benzema’s hat-trick in the second leg eliminated PSG 3-2 on aggregate in the last 16, yet again preventing the French club from winning Europe’s elite club competition for the first time.
“The Real Madrid game killed us, me and everyone in the dressing room. We had a lot of hope. It makes me want to win again,” Messi added.
“But the best team doesn’t always win the Champions League. I don’t take credit away from Real Madrid, they weren’t the best in this competition and yet they beat everyone.”
-Reuters
This year’s Ballon d’Or awards ceremony will be held in London for the first time on October 26, organisers said on Thursday, as the prestigious prize celebrates its 70th anniversary.
Created by France Football magazine in 1956, the Ballon d’Or is regarded as the most coveted individual award in world football.
The decision to stage the 70th edition in London was to pay tribute to England’s great Stanley Matthews, who became the award’s first winner seven decades ago, Europe’s football governing body UEFA said.
“By staging its 70th edition in the capital of England and the United Kingdom, the Ballon d’Or continues its expansion and further strengthens its status as a globally prestigious brand,” added UEFA.
The precise venue for the ceremony, which traditionally takes place in Paris, is yet to be announced.
Paris St Germain winger Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati were the men’s and women’s winners in 2025.
-Reuters
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Amstel Malta has hailed Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie after she made history in Paris by finishing fourth in the Women’s Yashin Trophy category at the 2025 Ballon d’Or Awards.
The 24-year-old shot-stopper became the first African goalkeeper to rank among the top five in the global honour, underlining her growing reputation as one of the world’s best.
Nnadozie, who recently joined Brighton & Hove Albion Women in the English Women’s Super League, has already impressed in Europe with a ‘Player of the Match’ debut and a string of commanding performances since.
Amstel Malta, a long-standing supporter of Nigerian women’s football, described her feat as a proud moment for the country and the continent.
The brand had earlier backed the Super Falcons as they clinched a record 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco last year.
“Chiamaka Nnadozie’s rise to global recognition at the Ballon d’Or is a proud moment for Nigeria and Africa,” said Sandra Amachree, Head of Communications – Marketing at Nigerian Breweries Plc. “Her success reflects the resilience, talent, and passion that Amstel Malta has always celebrated in the Super Falcons.
From standing with the team as they won a record 10th WAFCON title, to witnessing this global recognition, we remain committed to refreshing and empowering Nigerian football every step of the way.”
Nnadozie’s Ballon d’Or breakthrough follows recent global recognition for Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, further highlighting Nigeria’s growing presence on world football’s biggest stage.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA
French forward Ousmane Dembélé etched his name in football history on Monday night as he was crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, becoming only the fourth player of African descent to claim the game’s most prestigious individual honour.
Dembélé, whose father is Malian and mother has Mauritanian-Senegalese roots, joins a select group of legends with African heritage: Mozambique-born Portuguese icon Eusébio, Liberian great George Weah, and France’s Karim Benzema, whose father hails from Algeria.
The PSG player’s dazzling season—marked by decisive goals, creativity, and consistency—earned him the accolade ahead of other global stars, underscoring his long-awaited rise to the top of world football.
His victory continues a growing recognition of African football heritage in the global game. Eusébio won the award in 1965, Weah became the first and only African-based player to win it in 1995, while Benzema claimed the prize in 2022. Now, three years later, Dembélé has followed in their footsteps, making history for both France and Africa.
The Ballon d’Or, organised by France Football, has been awarded annually since 1956 to the best-performing footballer in the world.
Players of African Descent Who Have Won the Ballon d’Or
Player Country of Descent / Origin Nation Represented Year Won Eusébio Mozambique (African-born) Portugal 1965 George Weah Liberia Liberia 1995 Karim Benzema Algeria (father’s heritage) France 2022 Ousmane Dembélé Mali (father), Mauritania/Senegal (mother) France 2025
Ballon d’Or Winners Since 1956
- 1956 – Stanley Matthews (England)
- 1957 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
- 1958 – Raymond Kopa (France)
- 1959 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
- 1960 – Luis Suarez (Spain)
- 1961 – Omar Sivori (Italy)
- 1962 – Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
- 1963 – Lev Yashin (Soviet Union)
- 1964 – Denis Law (Scotland)
- 1965 – Eusébio (Portugal)
- 1966 – Bobby Charlton (England)
- 1967 – Florian Albert (Hungary)
- 1968 – George Best (Northern Ireland)
- 1969 – Gianni Rivera (Italy)
- 1970 – Gerd Müller (West Germany)
- 1971 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1972 – Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
- 1973 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1974 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1975 – Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union)
- 1976 – Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
- 1977 – Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
- 1978 – Kevin Keegan (England)
- 1979 – Kevin Keegan (England)
- 1980 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
- 1981 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
- 1982 – Paolo Rossi (Italy)
- 1983 – Michel Platini (France)
- 1984 – Michel Platini (France)
- 1985 – Michel Platini (France)
- 1986 – Igor Belanov (Soviet Union)
- 1987 – Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
- 1988 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
- 1989 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
- 1990 – Lothar Matthäus (Germany)
- 1991 – Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
- 1992 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
- 1993 – Roberto Baggio (Italy)
- 1994 – Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
- 1995 – George Weah (Liberia)
- 1996 – Matthias Sammer (Germany)
- 1997 – Ronaldo (Brazil)
- 1998 – Zinedine Zidane (France)
- 1999 – Rivaldo (Brazil)
- 2000 – Luís Figo (Portugal)
- 2001 – Michael Owen (England)
- 2002 – Ronaldo (Brazil)
- 2003 – Pavel Nedvěd (Czech Republic)
- 2004 – Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
- 2005 – Ronaldinho (Brazil)
- 2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
- 2007 – Kaká (Brazil)
- 2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2009 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2010 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)*
- 2011 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)*
- 2012 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)*
- 2013 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)*
- 2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)*
- 2015 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)*
- 2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2018 – Luka Modrić (Croatia)
- 2019 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2020 – Cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)
- 2021 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2022 – Karim Benzema (France)
- 2023 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2024 – Rodri (Spain)
- 2025 – Ousmane Dembélé (France)
*Between 2010 and 2015, the Ballon d’Or was merged with FIFA’s World Player of the Year award. Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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