PSG’s Ousmane Dembele all set to compete for second Ballon d’Or

Ousmane Dembélé won the Ballon d’Or in the previous edition of the award ceremony and is already looking to win a second consecutive one, as per reports by Foot Mercato, after having a stellar UEFA Champions League tournament, which ended in a victory and a second straight Champions League title for his club, PSG.

However, Dembélé was kept quiet for a major part of the match by the astute defensive structure of Mikel Arteta’s men, before the 29-year-old scored from the spot after teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was brought down inside the penalty box. After this equaliser, Dembélé started getting more involved in the game; however, he failed to register any more goals or assists. The French forward might ultimately be removed from the pitch towards the fag end of the stoppage time. Thus, Dembélé finished his 2025-26 UEFA Champions League campaign with 8 goals and 2 assists in 13 games.

A member of Dembélé’s camp said to L’Equipe (via Foot Mercato) about his chances of winning a second consecutive Ballon d’Or before the final, “Of course, he thinks about it. When you also realize you’re in the Champions League final, and there’s the World Cup afterwards, you start thinking about it (the Ballon d’Or).”

The source further said, “Ousmane has a new mentality since last year. He wants to score, he’s become even more conscientious. And he’s realized how much awards impact popularity, bringing enormous recognition. He knows it depends on the World Cup and winning the Champions League final. But he wants it.”

Now that he’s won the UCL final, Dembélé surely has a solid chance of winning the Ballon d’Or. If he wins it, he will join an elite list of eight players, including the likes of players like Michel Platini, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Dembélé must also remember that his performances in the United States while donning the French jersey will be very necessary to determine whether he wins the award or not.