Dembélé and Bonmatí land Ballon d'Or awards after night of celebration

Paris Saint-Germain attacker honoured for starring role in Champions League triumph

- Barney Ronay

On a breathlessly glitzy night in Paris, Ousmane Dembélé won the men’s Ballon D’Or award for the first time.

It was a victory that brought the audience in a fever-pitch Theatre Chatelet to their feet, reward both for Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League triumph and Dembélé’s own stellar form since Christmas.

Otherwise it was a night of flowers and gongs for English football in Paris as the women’s game swept the opening half of the ceremony. There were awards for the England head coach, Sarina Wiegman, the England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and Arsenal, the Champions League winners, as club of the year. Such was the degree of early Anglo-dominance there were even scattered boos from the Parisian crowd as Arsenal’s players went up to receive their gong.