Ousmane Dembélé took home The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2025 award, but what did the voting really look like? Who voted for Ousmane Dembélé at The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2025? A full breakdown of captain, coach, media, and fan votes is explained.
This piece breaks down the results — from national team captains and coaches to media reps and the public — revealing where Dembélé gained his edge, which countries and groups supported the top contenders, and the standout ballots that shaped the final outcome.
We break down the voting system (1st = 5 points, 2nd = 3 points, 3rd = 1 point), highlight key takeaways from each voter category, and offer a clear, data-driven look at standout ballots and overall trends among the roughly 200+ voters in each category.
Whether you want a quick summary of why Dembélé won or a deep dive into the captain/coach/media ballots, this breakdown gives the full picture and the key takeaways journalists, analysts and fans will want to cite.
Full Voting Breakdown Extraction of The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2025
Table of Contents
In this voting system, each voter selects three players: first place earns 5 points, second gets 3, and third receives 1. In 2025, Ousmane Dembélé, 28, was named FIFA’s The Best Men’s Footballer of the Year after scoring 50 points, followed by Lamine Yamal with 39 and Kylian Mbappé with 35.
Winner
- Ousmane Dembélé (France/PSG) emerged victorious, praised for his pivotal role in PSG’s treble and France’s Nations League success.
| Rank | Player | Key Voting Support |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ousmane Dembélé (France / PSG) | Strong 1st-place backing from captains & coaches |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | High media & fan support |
| 3 | Kylian Mbappé | Consistent top-three finishes |
| 4 | Erling Haaland | Coach-heavy support |
| 5 | Jude Bellingham | Media-driven votes |
How the Voting System Works
Each eligible country submits votes from:
- National team captain
- National team head coach
- Media representative
- Fans (public vote, counted separately)
Captains’ Votes (Highlights)
Captains showed strong support for Dembélé, with ~80-90 estimated 1st-place votes across 211 associations. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed the awards once again as part of his long-term boycott protest.
Notable Votes Including Dembélé:
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 1st: Dembélé (5 pts), 2nd: Kylian Mbappé (3), 3rd: Lamine Yamal (1)
- Harry Kane (England) — 1st: Dembélé (5), 2nd: Vitinha (3), 3rd: Mohamed Salah (1)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt) — 1st: Dembélé (5), 2nd: Mbappé (3), 3rd: Yamal (1)
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) — 1st: Dembélé (5), 2nd: Mbappé (3), 3rd: Yamal (1)
- Many others (e.g., captains from Algeria, Angola, Bermuda, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Curaçao, Cyprus, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan) gave Dembélé first place.
Other Patterns:
- Lamine Yamal received strong support from Spanish-influenced or younger-voter captains (e.g., Andorra, Moldova, Romania).
- Kylian Mbappé topped votes from several African and European captains.
Coaches’ Votes (Detailed Sample)
Coaches mirrored captains, with Dembélé frequently in 1st.
Notable/Full Examples:
- Didier Deschamps (France): 1st: Dembélé (5), 2nd: Mbappé (3), 3rd: Hakimi (1)
- Thomas Tuchel (England): 1st: Harry Kane (5), 2nd: Cole Palmer (3), 3rd: Dembélé (1)
- Lionel Scaloni (Argentina): 1st: Mbappé (5), 2nd: Pedri (3), 3rd: Yamal (1)
- Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil, club context): 1st: Dembélé (5), 2nd: Raphinha (3), 3rd: Mbappé (1)
- Julian Nagelsmann (Germany): 1st: Vitinha (5), 2nd: Dembélé (3), 3rd: Kane (1)
- Didier Deschamps (repeated for emphasis): Heavy Dembélé support.
Sample of Other Coaches Voting Dembélé 1st:
- Albania (Sylvio Mendes Campos Júnior)
- Algeria (Vladimir Petkovic)
- Anguilla (Cleo Hamm)
- Australia (Tony Popovic)
- Austria (Ralf Rangnick)
- Bangladesh (Javier Cabrera)
- Bermuda (Michael Findlay)
- Bhutan (Atsushi Nakamura)
- Botswana (Morena Ramoreboli)
- Brazil (Ancelotti, as above)
- Burkina Faso (Brama Traoré)
- Burundi (Patrick Sangwa Mayani)
- China PR (Jiayi Shao)
- Congo DR (Sébastien Desabre)
- Curaçao (Dean Gorre)
- Cyprus (Apostolos Mantzios)
- Estonia (Jürgen Henn)
- Faroe Islands (Eydun Klakstein)
- Finland (Jacob Friis)
- France (Deschamps)
- Georgia (Willy Sagnol)
- Ghana (Nana Otto Addo)
- Guatemala (Luis Fernando Tena)
- Guinea-Bissau (Emiliano Te)
- Honduras (Reinaldo Rueda)
- Iceland (Arnar Gunnlaugsson)
- India (Khalid Jamil)
- IR Iran (Ardeshir Ghalenoei)
- Iraq (Graham Arnold)
- Kazakhstan (Talgat Baisufinov)
- And dozens more—Dembélé was the most frequent 1st choice overall in this category.
Journalists/Media Representatives
The PDF includes a similar list for journalists (one per country). Patterns favour European-based players, with Dembélé, Yamal, and Mbappé receiving the majority of votes. Specific notable votes aren’t highlighted in the extraction, but Dembélé received broad recognition for his dribbling and decisive goals.
Why Dembélé Won The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2025?
Dembélé’s triumph reflects more than raw numbers. Voters highlighted:
- Match-winning performances in decisive club and international fixtures
- Tactical versatility and consistency across competitions
- Leadership in big moments rather than stat-padding
His win represents a performance-based consensus choice, not just popularity — a key reason this edition stands out historically.
Key Insights & Why Dembélé Won
- Dembélé’s cross-category dominance (especially 1st-place votes from peers like Messi, Kane, Salah, Hakimi, and coaches like Deschamps) gave him the edge.
- Runners-up: Likely Mbappé and Yamal, based on frequency.
- Other nominees receiving votes: Vitinha, Hakimi, Raphinha, Pedri, Salah, Kane, Cole Palmer, Nuno Mendes.
