“Everyone thinks what they want and votes what they want” - Ousmane Dembele responds when asked if he’s front-runner for 2025 Ballon d'Or

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Ousmane Dembele has discussed his hopes ahead of the upcoming 2025 Ballon d'Or award. The Frenchman was phenomenal for La Parisien in the recently concluded season, bagging 33 goals and 15 assists to help the side to their first ever quadruple.

In a recent interview with France Football, the former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund star said via Forbes:

“It’s difficult to say. But winning a Ballon d'Or when you’re a footballer is obviously the holy grail on an individual level. It’s something you dream of as a child. I remember when I saw the players appear in Telefoot to receive him. It was incredible. Only the object, the ball, is exceptional.”

Dembele clarified that he hoped to be:

“among the thirty nominees, to begin with."

He added that:

“I’ve had difficult years with injuries, weak performances as well. This season I think I’ve been consistent, so we’ll see what happens. It would be exceptional to have my name on the list. And to be one of the favorites is already a great victory, although I hope to win it one day.”

“Personally, I always play the same football. Since I was little, I want to give joy to the people who come to the stadium. I like to dribble, but I’m also someone who helps the team a lot, who wants to score goals and assist. Then, everyone thinks what they want and votes what they want. If you like Ousmane Dembele, great; if not, life goes on. We’ll see.”

Dembele faces competition for the Ballon d'Or from an interesting prospect, with Barcelona star Lamine Yamal also tipped to claim the prize after a fine competition with treble-winning Blaugrana.

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Kylian Mbappe tips Ousmane Dembele to win 2025 Ballon d'Or

France captain Kylian Mbappe has indicated that he would vote for his compatriot and fellow World Cup winner Ousmane Dembele to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or. The French forward was magical for PSG and helped them to a clean sweep of all the competitions they entered.

Speaking in a recent interview, the Real Madrid striker made his preference clear, telling Si:

“Would I vote for Dembélé [to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or]? Yes. I don’t think it needs much explaining, People are talking about Lamine Yamal and Dembélé, but my choice is clear: I vote for Dembélé.”

Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele have played 4,447 minutes across 77 games for France and PSG together and combined for 11 goals to average 2.08 points in each game.