Last night, under the glowing chandeliers of Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet, football crowned its kings and queens. The Ballon d’Or ceremony — the most prestigious night in world football — unfolded in all its glory. And somehow, I was there. Not behind a screen. Not on a media livestream. But inside the room — credentialed, witnessing it all firsthand.
For the first time in my career, I found myself at one of the most exclusive events in the world. And that’s saying something — I’ve reported from over 65 of the world’s most prestigious sports events for the past 17 years as a sports journalist, from World Cup qualifiers to FA cup finals, from Olympic arenas to sold-out title fights. Yet nothing quite prepared me for this. Only 50 to 70 journalists were accredited worldwide. Selected from hundreds of thousands of media applications, the invitation alone was a story. To be chosen — handpicked — felt surreal. This wasn’t just reporting a moment. This was living inside football history.
What the World Watched
The 2025 Ballon d’Or celebrated the very best of the 2024–25 football season, and all eyes were on Paris. Millions tuned in around the world, eager to know who would take home the sport’s highest individual honour.
In the end, it was Ousmane Dembélé, Paris Saint-Germain’s explosive winger, who claimed his first Ballon d’Or, capping off a season that saw PSG finally lift their long-awaited first UEFA Champions League title, alongside domestic glory in Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France. ()
On the women’s side, Aitana Bonmatí made history. The Barcelona midfielder became the first player to win the Ballon d’Or Féminin three years in a row, establishing herself as the undisputed queen of the modern game. Her consistency, vision, and leadership elevated both club and country once again.
Also honoured:
Kopa Trophy (Best Young Players): Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) and Vicky López (Barcelona Femení)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeepers): Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG) and Hannah Hampton (Chelsea)
Gerd Müller Trophy (Top Scorers): Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting CP) and Ewa Pajor (Wolfsburg)
Coach of the Year: Luis Enrique (PSG) and Sarina Wiegman (England Women)
Clubs of the Year: PSG (men), Arsenal (women)
A Room Unlike Any Other
It’s difficult to explain the weight of being inside that room. The history. The air. The energy.
I was in the same room as Ronaldinho and Lamine Yamal. Not just watching them on a screen — but present. Breathing the same air. Observing the subtle moments between the loud ones. While I didn’t speak to them, just seeing Ronaldinho — the magician who redefined joy in football — and Yamal — the future of the sport — share space was like watching a torch being passed, silently but unmistakably.
And there I was. A journalist among just a handful. One of very few in the world invited to see it all unfold without barriers.
Meeting Doué and Sakho
After the main ceremony, I had the chance to briefly meet Désiré Doué — the exciting young midfielder whose maturity off the pitch impressed me as much as his footwork on it. He carried himself with quiet confidence. You get the sense he knows what’s coming — and more importantly, that he’s ready for it.
Also in attendance was Mamadou Sakho — towering and composed, radiating the kind of calm that only comes from a life spent under football’s brightest and harshest lights. Our interaction was short on the Red carpet but his humility and presence stood out amid the red-carpet chaos.
The Ceremony: Dembélé’s Moment
When Dembélé’s name was finally read aloud, the theatre erupted. The applause was thunderous, but there was also something deeper — admiration. The story behind his triumph is one of perseverance. Injuries, inconsistency, pressure. He had been written off more than once. But this past season, he was electric. Purposeful. A leader.
And then came the emotional climax. He asked his mother, Fatima, to join him on stage.
The room fell still.
Dembélé, clutching his first Ballon d’Or, looked out into the crowd with glistening eyes while his mother embraced him under the spotlight — a moment of vulnerability and gratitude that reminded everyone watching that even in a room filled with footballing giants, humanity always takes centre stage. ()
On the Red Carpet: The Dream Becomes Real
Before the curtains lifted and the trophies were handed out, I stood on the red carpet, caught in a moment of disbelief. I’d dreamed of covering events like this — watched them religiously, admired the reporting, the style, the spectacle — but now I was in it.
Behind the barriers were fans screaming players’ names. Ahead of me walked some of the most famous people in world sport. And somewhere in the middle — a place I didn’t expect to be so soon — was me. Not watching, but participating.
You brace yourself for professionalism. You’re trained to stay neutral. But even the most hardened journalist would have struggled not to feel the magic of that red carpet.
The Press Conference: Silent but Wide-Eyed
Post-ceremony, the press conference was hushed and formal — the kind of room where the weight of the moment settles.
I didn’t ask a question. I didn’t need to. Sitting in that space, watching Dembélé on stage with the golden trophy beside him, I saw everything I needed. The calm. The awe. The proof that talent, when shaped by hard work and perseverance, can rewrite a narrative.
Around him, journalists ask questions and yet, in that room of 60 handpicked reporters, no one missed the magnitude of what had just happened.
More Than an Award Show
The Ballon d’Or is more than a ceremony. It’s a reflection of football’s evolving story. It’s about how legends rise, how the game changes, and how human emotion is always at the core.
For Dembélé, this was a rebirth.
For Bonmatí, a legacy etched deeper into history.
For Yamal, a taste of what is almost certainly to come.
For the journalists in the room, it was a privilege — a seat in the theatre of greatness.
And for me? It was a reminder that no matter how far away the world of elite football may seem, sometimes, your path takes you right to its very centre
It was a moment I will never forget.