During the Trento Sports Festival, Zlatan Ibrahimovic caused a sensation by speaking about the 2025 Ballon d'Or. Without directly naming Ousmane Dembélé, the former Swedish striker suggested that, in his opinion, the trophy should not have gone to the PSG player.
“The Ballon d’Or? It's not a regret, but it's very strange that I didn't win it (laughs). It's not always the strongest who wins. I didn’t win the Champions League either, that’s no secret,” he confided.
And to add: “Who would I have given it to? We must judge the player who really made the difference individually. For me, Yamal did it. »
This statement highlights Zlatan's philosophy: for him, the supreme individual trophy must go to the one who changes the course of matches through his direct influence, and not simply to the one who accumulates the statistics or appears in the headlines.
No favor to PSG
Even without quoting Dembélé, the message is clear: despite his solid season and his collective titles, he did not, according to Ibra, embody this role of “difference maker” on the pitch despite a leading role in the Champions League, Ligue 1 and Coupe de France treble won by PSG last season.
Now an advisor to AC Milan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains faithful to his demanding vision of football and does not seem to want to be biased simply because Dembélé played in the club where he stayed the longest with AC Milan.
Ousmane Dembélé will probably not be too upset by these statements. The Ballon d’Or trophy is in his wardrobe, which is ultimately not the case for Zlatan…
