Winner of the 69th edition of the Ballon d'Or, Ousmane Dembélé (28 years old) lent himself to the traditional interview with France Football after his coronation. The French international, who expected to be among the five best players in the world because of his personal statistics and the crazy season made with Paris Saint-Germain, was very humble in his speech and even embarrassed to speak for a long time of himself when tackling his XXL list: “Having won a World Cup, the Champions League, and if you add a golden ball, it's something big”.
A largely won golden ball that he dedicates to his mother, family and those around him, referring to Karim Benzema. “We are both from the neighborhoods, we grew up, and, to be at the highest world level, to win a Ballon d'Or is exceptional. He is the first golden ball of the people, I am the second ”he said, refusing to proclaim himself as the best player in the world. An expression that does not mean anything, according to him. “It can change every weekend. A match, you're not good, we're going to say you're bad. The other match, you are the best in the world ”.
Ousmane Dembélé wants to do even better
And concerning his season, he notably dedicates this coronation to the collective of Paris Saint-Germain, by refusing to put himself at the heart of the project. “No, not with me. Stop saying with me! It's with everyone. It's a team … it's a whole group. It's the team's golden ball ”he added, being virulent towards criticism on his current style of play and last seasons, because of his problem in front of the goal. “Sorry for my vocabulary, but I stuck completely (…) You take or you don't take. Even if I wanted to score goals, I was not on purpose to shoot up there… ”
Because according to him, criticism, there will always be. “Even if you make two, three, four, five good seasons, make you a bad one, we forget everything. You can't be unanimous, it's impossible. Everything starts again at zero at the start of the season ”added the Golden Ball 2025. And for the rest? Ousmane Dembélé claims to be obliged to do both, see better than the 2024-25 season. For what ? “Because if you don't win, if you are not hungry, with Luis Enrique, you're going to go on the bench.” Where we're going to buy another player ”. The message has passed.
