After winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or, Ousmane Dembélé attended a press conference at the award ceremony.
Ousmane, good evening. We saw you were very emotional on stage. Could you tell us what was going through your mind at that moment?
I didn’t plan to cry. I wanted to stay strong while thanking everyone, but when I started talking about my family—those who’ve been with me from the beginning—emotions took over. I couldn’t hold back a bit.
You’ve reached the pinnacle of world football. Congratulations. Now that you’re at this peak, what are your thoughts on your next goals? Your coach Luis Enrique paid tribute to you a few weeks ago but quickly added that you could do even better this season…
Exactly. Luckily, I have a coach like Luis Enrique who always puts pressure on me. When you’ve tasted all this—collective victories and individual honors—you want to stay at the top. So yes, we’re still motivated this season. We have a young team at Paris Saint-Germain. Experiencing the Champions League, winning it, was extraordinary. We want to relive that with all the staff and players.
Good evening, Ousmane. You mentioned earlier that winning the Ballon d’Or wasn’t one of your goals. How do you reflect on your journey since the start of your career? You also said there have been highs and lows, and here you are, winning this trophy…
That’s right. Winning awards is nice, but as coach Luis Enrique says, his philosophy is that collective honors come first—and they bring individual recognition. So I think the focus should be on the team: delivering decisive assists, scoring, defending, attacking, and then reaping the rewards. That’s good. In my career, I’ve had many, many tough moments, and of course good ones too. But that’s everyday life, whether as a player or a regular person. Life has tests to overcome, and I’ve overcome them.
Good evening, Ousmane. You spoke about collective honors. Paris Saint-Germain was named Team of the Season, Luis Enrique Best Coach, Gianluigi Donnarumma Best Goalkeeper—all these trophies PSG won have capped off an extraordinary season, haven’t they?
Exactly. It’s a shame all the players, coaches, and sporting directors aren’t here tonight, but this means so much more for the club. It wraps up a truly wonderful 2024/25 season, one where I think we dominated world football. We’re thrilled, and of course we’ll work to relive it all—because it’s too good.
Ousmane, good evening. We know you prioritize collective honors, but as a teenager, in your childhood room in Évreux, did you ever imagine winning the Ballon d’Or one day?
Yes, of course. When you’re young, you dream of winning these awards. Then as you grow up, you learn that collective honors are what matter. But naturally, as a kid, you hope to win the Champions League, the World Cup, be the best player, win the Ballon d’Or—that’s extraordinary.
Good evening, Ousmane. When you cried, which moment in your career were you thinking of? Second question: All of Mauritania is celebrating you tonight. Will you take this trophy to Walata to show it off?
I hope so. I hope to make that happen one day. It would be amazing for all those who support me daily—so beautiful. I thank them. As for the tears, like I said, it was an incredible moment. Winning this trophy filled me with joy, and emotions just naturally came out. I hope I made everyone proud.
Good evening, Ousmane. What do you think of the competition with Lamine Yamal?
It’s great. We’ve seen Lamine Yamal’s performance all season—he’s an extraordinary young man, an exceptional player with remarkable maturity. I think if things go well, he’ll win many trophies like the Ballon d’Or too. It’s healthy competition. There were other players in the mix, so it was a great contest.
Regarding the issue with coach Luis Enrique at the start of last season, when you weren’t even in the Champions League squad—how do you view that now?
Honestly, there was no real problem with the coach. I never had a falling-out with Luis Enrique. We’ve always had a great relationship, and still do. But I made a small mistake, and the price was missing the Arsenal game. Simple as that. He made the right call. The start of the season had some tough moments in the Champions League, but I think I had one of the best starts to a season in my career—especially statistically. Then in 2025, I really exploded, especially in big games and key moments. So I’m overjoyed to win this award.
I’ll name a few: Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and now Ousmane Dembélé. How does it feel to hear these true legends’ names and know you’re now part of this elite group of French Ballon d’Or winners?
It’s incredible to hear the names of all these French football legends who’ve won this award—most recently Karim Benzema, and the great Zinedine Zidane. Being on that list is unparalleled. But I think many other French players will join it in the future. I wish them well and sincerely hope the list grows longer and longer.
