“When used properly, he could become the best player in the world.”
This bold statement from former Barcelona boss Xavi back in 2021 contained a sentiment Ousmane Dembele had heard throughout his career.
Some raised their eyebrows and many doubted the mercurial Frenchman would ever be able to reach the heights predicted for him after becoming the second most expensive player in the world when he signed for Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £135.5m in 2017.
But, after a journey that has had many lows as he battled against injury, inconsistency and questions about his attitude, the 28-year-old has finally seen that prophecy come true after winning the Ballon d’Or – a prize he has long-since dreamt of.
As he thanked his family for their sacrifices in helping him win the top men’s award in Paris, Dembele broke down in tears, a sign of the ups and downs he has experienced throughout his career.
Dembele’s incredible 2024-25 season helped his club Paris St-Germain win a Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Champions League treble, before also reaching the final of the Club World Cup.
He scored 35 goals and recorded 14 assists in all competitions and, after a quiet start to the season, was Europe’s most in-form forward according to the stats from the turn of the year.
His achievement can’t be underestimated either. He has seen off Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who recorded more goal involvements than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues last season, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, who scored more goals, and the brilliance of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
Dembele’s transformation began at Barcelona a couple of years before he joined PSG as he started to see things differently. But he loved the idea of being a star and he was invited to be ambitious at PSG.
Mbappe’s exit from the French club to join Real Madrid – ironically a move many predicted would cement his place as the world’s best player – proved the final piece in the much-puzzled-over jigsaw for Dembele as manager Luis Enrique told him, we now want goals from you and we want you to be egotistical.
The coaching staff just kept saying to him ‘Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or’.
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