Mbappe speaks out as Ousmane Dembele wins the 2025 Ballon d'Or.

A panoramic view of the 2025 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony.

"I'm so touched, my brother. You deserve this a thousand times over," Mbappe expressed on his personal Instagram account, which has over 126 million followers, to congratulate his French national team teammate, Ousmane Dembele, on receiving the prestigious award at a ceremony organized by the French magazine France Football on the morning of September 23rd in Paris, France.

Mbappe lên tiếng khi Ousmane Dembele giành Quả bóng vàng 2025 - 1 — Mbappe's message to Dembele when the PSG striker received the 2025 Ballon d'Or award (Photo: X).

Mbappe was among the Real Madrid players who did not attend the 2025 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony after the club continued its boycott of the event following Vinicius's failure to win the Ballon d'Or last year. The French striker is also on the list of 30 nominees for this year's Ballon d'Or, ranking 7th.

Nevertheless, Mbappe followed the news and quickly congratulated his compatriot Dembele on the award that any footballer would dream of. This message generated a widespread reaction from fans and the media, not only because of its sincerity but also because it highlighted the healthy competition between the two stars, giving Dembele's award a special symbolic value.

The French winger surpassed rising star Lamine Yamal in a ceremony honoring both his individual contributions and leadership role at PSG.

Mbappe lên tiếng khi Ousmane Dembele giành Quả bóng vàng 2025 - 2 — Dembele had a breakout season, notably scoring 8 goals to help PSG win the Champions League for the first time (Photo: Getty).

Dembele had a breakout season, scoring 35 goals and providing 16 assists in 53 appearances for PSG. The French forward played a crucial role in helping PSG win five titles: the Champions League, Ligue 1, the French Cup, the French Super Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup.

Dembele became the second PSG player to win the Ballon d'Or after Lionel Messi (who has won the award eight times in the most recent edition) while playing in the French capital in 2021.

He is the sixth French player to receive this award, following Michel Platini (1983, 1984 and 1985), Raymond Kopa (1958), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991), Zinedine Zidane (1998) and Karim Benzema (2022).

The awards presented at the 2025 Ballon d'Or Gala.

Ballon d'Or winners : Ousmane Dembele (PSG, men) and Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona, women)

Kopa Trophy (Best Young Player) : Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, men) and Vicky Lopez (Barcelona, women).

Yashin Cup (Best Goalkeeper) : Donnarumma (Man City, men) and Hannah Hampton (England, women).

Gerd Muller Cup (Top Scorer for Club/National Team): Gyokeres (Sporting Lisbon/Arsenal, men) and Pajor (Barcelona, women).

Johan Cruyff Cup (Best Club/National Team Coach): Luis Enrique (PSG, men) and Sarina Wiegman (England, women).

Club of the Year: Paris Saint Germain (men) and Arsenal (women).

Socrates Prize (honoring social and humanitarian actions): The fund is named after coach Luis Enrique's daughter.

The Ballon d'Or is a prestigious award initiated and maintained by France Football since 1956. To this day, it remains one of the most prestigious awards in football.

The voting system is based on three factors: individual achievements, team achievements, and career. A panel of 100 sports journalists votes for the men's award and 50 journalists vote for the women's award, with the top 10 nominees for each category.

Each position in the top 10 will receive a certain number of points, corresponding to its ranking: 15 points for first place, 12 points for second place, 10 points for third place, and decreasing down to 1 point for tenth place.

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