Daily Star Sport has picked the winner of the 2025 Bellen d'Or and who is following in the footsteps of past prize idiots such as Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Luis Rubiales and Gianni Infantino
08:00, 01 Jan 2026Updated 08:02, 01 Jan 2026
Jake Paul, Joey Barton and Mohamed Salah were three of the contenders for the 2025 Bellen d'Or
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Jake Paul, Joey Barton and Mohamed Salah were three of the contenders for the 2025 Bellen d'Or
The award no one asked for and no one wants to win is back as the winner of Daily Star Sport's annual Bellen d'Or is announced.
Yesterday we revealed the 13-strong shortlist for the 2025 trophy, with not-so lucky names such as Jake Paul, Keegan Bradley, Mo Salah and Eni Aluko in contention. But all of those colossal names from the world of sport have missed out on the least prestigious award around.
That's because there was one man that plummeted below all other contenders - and caught the eye of Daily Star Sport thanks to his disgraceful social media antics and even more questionable behaviour that repeatedly landed him in court docks. So, joining past winners Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Luis Rubiales, Gianni Infantino and Matt Le Tissier is...
Bellen d'Or 2025 winner Joey Barton
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Bellen d'Or 2025 winner Joey Barton(Image: Daily Mirror/Andy Stenning)
2025 Bellen d'Or winner - Joey Barton
No longer the bridesmaid but never the bride, Joey Barton is now a Bellen d'Or winner. Are congratulations in order? We don't think so.
Where do we even start with Barton, a man that was in the news for all the wrong reasons most weeks in 2025. His social media antics, saying anything and everything without much rhyme or reason, landed him in court, having already cost him a fortune in libel damages.
After comparing Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko to serial killers Fred and Rose West, and calling Jeremy Vine a "bike nonce", in a series of offensive posts, the former Manchester City, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers midfielder was slapped with a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Joey Barton twice avoided prison at sentencing hearings in 2025
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Joey Barton twice avoided prison at sentencing hearings in 2025(Image: PA)
Barton's one man war with woke was brought crashing down after he was found guilty of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety in July.
Perhaps prosecutor Peter Wright, KC, put it best, when he said: "He is just simply an undiluted, unapologetic bully. A little bully who takes pleasure sitting there with his phone in his hand and then posting these slurs."
At his sentencing in December, Judge Andrew Menary, KC, said: "Robust debate, satire, mockery and even crude language may fall within permissible free speech. But when posts deliberately target individuals with vilifying comparisons to serial killers or false insinuations of paedophilia, designed to humiliate and distress, they forfeit their protection.
Joey Barton has been branded a "bully" by former Manchester City team-mate Nedum Onuoha
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Joey Barton's playing career was marred by a series of unpleasant incidents, including stubbing a cigar in a young team-mate's eye(Image: Getty)
"As the jury concluded, your offences exemplify behaviour that is beyond this limit - amounting to a sustained campaign of online abuse that was not mere commentary but targeted, extreme and deliberately harmful." And that wasn't the only time Barton was in court in 2025.
Back in May, Barton was found guilty after a trial of assault by beating after pushing his wife to the floor and kicking her in the head in 2021. His wife suffered a bleeding nose and lump on her forehead. Magistrates let him walk free with a 12-week jail sentence, suspended for two years, after hearing they were still in a "happy relationship" with a young child.
Across the Women's Euros, Barton also branded women's football as "cosplay" and a "monstrosity", while slamming the Sideman's charity match - an event that raised millions for good causes - as "embarrassing" and branding it the "R***** Bowl". There were also posts about darts, a sport Barton claims is a "pub game" played by "overweight smelly men" - which ended up with Welsh ace Gerwyn Price offering him out on Instagram.
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It was a hall of shame year for Barton - a man thoroughly deserving of the Bellen d'Or award.