Ousmane Dembele: France's Ballon d'Or dream

Once a carefree youngster, Ousmane Dembele is on the verge of the moment France has been longing for: winning the Ballon d'Or.

Shy and Explosive

“He came to training without saying a word,” Thomas Tuchel recalled in 2016, then in charge of Dortmund and immediately having a premonition about Ousmane Dembele , the 19-year-old from Rennes.

“I didn’t even say hello when I passed him. It was as if he had never learned how to communicate. But when he started playing football, he had it all: dribbling, creativity, speed, vision, passing, finishing… Truly the qualities of the Golden Ball!”

Dembele exploded in the Champions League last season. Photo: Imago

The son of Senegalese and Mauritanian immigrants living in Normandy, Dembele was so shy he could barely speak a word, let alone English or German.

A decade later, almost the whole of France is looking forward to seeing him become the first French player to win the Ballon d'Or while playing for a French club since Jean-Pierre Papin, who won the European Cup with Marseille in 1991.

“ Ousmane Ballon d'Or! Ousmane Ballon d'Or…! ” the crowd at Roland Garros chanted as Dembele appeared on centre court to present the Champions League trophy he won with PSG in June.

Marquinhos, the captain, started the chorus during the celebrations on the Champs-Elysees, leaving Dembele red with embarrassment.

Unlike many players who crave individual accolades, Dembele has always been indifferent to superstar status, sometimes to the point of making his teammates laugh. Even Vitinha, PSG's other candidate for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, has publicly supported it: "Give it to Dembele!" .

Dembele was voted the 2024/25 Champions League Player of the Year after playing a decisive role in PSG's historic title triumph (8 goals, 6 assists), helping the team overcome Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa - a rare series of opponents in terms of harshness.

France Football magazine, the organizer, asked him if he wanted to win the Ballon d'Or. Dembele was surprised: "I just want to be on the list of 30 nominees!" . Before that, he had never been on the list.

Dembele is usually easy to please, but now that the voting has closed, according to the polls, he is in the top three candidates with Vitinha and Lamine Yamal. In Paris, there is no doubt.

Dembele scores decisive goals. Photo: EFE

Even Didier Deschamps publicly backed him, ignoring Kylian Mbappe: “I am completely on Ousmane's side.”

Modest

At this point, Dembele is the most famous player in France, inspiring the most sympathy from colleagues and fans, perhaps because he has never considered himself a superstar. Social media fame came to Dembele by accident.

Not intentionally, because he hates glamour, but clips recording his daily life have made netizens crazy since his time playing for Rennes.

When a television reporter saw that he played football well with both feet, he asked: “Which foot are you good with?” . “I am left-footed,” he replied, “but I prefer to use my right foot.”

After winning the 2018 World Cup, a teammate filmed Dembele sitting intently on his laptop on the flight back to Paris.

“I’m playing Football Manager,” he says, his usual dreamy self. “I want to take Winchester FC to the top . But I’m not a businessman!”

Mbappe’s departure from PSG last summer opened the door for Dembele to move closer to goal, reducing his wing-back runs to focus on efficiency. Luis Enrique redefined him as a centre-forward, simplifying his duties and improving his finishing.

Dembele and the 2025 European Super Cup title. Photo: UEFA

Dembele modestly explained his impressive numbers: 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 games last season. Ousmane admitted that without Vitinha, Ruben Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Kvaratskhelia – the brains that regulate PSG – he could not have exploded.

He also does not deny that his time at Barcelona (2017-2023) taught him how to live professionally: "I changed my diet, changed my lifestyle" .

He knew that if he continued to eat pizza, stay up late playing video games, and glue himself to YouTube, the injury would stick with him forever.

In Paris, it is said that since he got married three years ago, his carefree teenage life has ended. Dembele has become a father, matured professionally and personally.

At 27, Dembele reached his physical peak. Luis Enrique's rigorous training regime helped him maintain his form. Ramon Planes, former Barcelona sporting director, once said: " Dembele needs a lot of training because he is a super athlete. Like a Ferrari: if you don't maintain it properly, it will break down."

Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), Papin (1991) and Zidane (1998) form the sacred temple of French football in the history of the Golden Ball. Paris is waiting for Dembele to succeed.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ousmane-dembele-va-su-menh-qua-bong-vang-cho-nuoc-phap-2438552.html