Ousmane Dembele seizes a historic opportunity.

No one has ever won the World Cup while holding the 'Ballon d'Or' title. So this is Ousmane Dembele's (France) chance to make history.

Furthermore, Dembele is being enticed by another equally spectacular historical detail: the opportunity to win both the World Cup and the Champions League in the same year. If he achieves this, he will undoubtedly be the recipient of the "Ballon d'Or" again. That would be a "four-in-one" record, one that no one will ever be able to match.

Dembele (10) is a star to watch at the 2026 World Cup.

Photo: Reuters

Throughout history, 60 players have won both the World Cup and the European Cup/ Champions League, but only 11 have won both titles in the same year. These are Gerd Mueller, Uli Hoeness, Paul Breitner, Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Jupp Kapellmann (Bayern Munich and Germany national team, 1974), Christian Karembeu (Real Madrid, France, 1998), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid, Brazil, 2002), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid, Germany, 2014), and Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, France, 2018).

We immediately see the striking coincidence that seven Bayern/German players have appeared on the list of legends. The rest can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and it's only by wearing the Real Madrid shirt (which is said to have "Champions League DNA") that one can easily become a legend. A case like Dembele's right now is extremely rare.

PSG recently won the Champions League, with five French national team players preparing for the 2026 World Cup. Along with Dembele, the opportunity to make history is also beckoning his teammates in the "Les Bleus" ranks: Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaire-Emery, Desire Doue, and Lucas Hernandez.

Furthermore, PSG also boasts four Portuguese internationals (Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Goncalo Ramos), one Brazilian international (Marquinhos), and one Spanish international (Fabian Ruiz). They will all participate in the World Cup representing their respective national teams and all have the hope of joining the rare list of players who have won both the World Cup and the Champions League in the same year. This list (currently with 11 players as mentioned) will undoubtedly grow if France, Spain, Portugal, or Brazil win the 2026 World Cup.

PSG, the 2026 Champions League champions, also have players from Morocco (Achraf Hakimi), South Korea (Lee Kang-in), and Senegal (Ibrahim Mbaye). However, the hope of these players winning the World Cup is unrealistic.

It's worth reiterating that Dembele's historic opportunity is even more special than that of the PSG players who just won the Champions League because he also holds the "Ballon d'Or" and is considered a strong contender for the next "Ballon d'Or" award (to be announced in October 2026). Dembele himself is one of only 60 players in history to have both the World Cup and the Champions League titles in their collection of achievements. He is one of only four players remaining from the French team that won the 2018 World Cup (along with Kylian Mbappe, Lucas Hernandez, and N'Golo Kante). He also participated in and played in the 2022 World Cup final.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ousmane-dembele-truoc-thoi-co-lich-su-185260531214152327.htm