Luis Enrique backs Ousmane Dembele for Ballon d'Or after Paris Saint-Germain's big victory over Real Madrid at Club World Cup
Updated 10/07/2025 at 12:23 GMT+1
Luis Enrique insists Ousmane Dembele deserves to win the Ballon d'Or after the Frenchman scored and assisted in Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 28-year-old has now scored 35 goals and notched 21 assists across all competitions this season, and as PSG hunt for a fourth piece of silverware, Enrique believes the forward "deserves to win everything".
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Luis Enrique has backed Ousmane Dembele for the Ballon d’Or, saying the forward is "far and away above other players" following Paris Saint-Germain’s thrashing of Real Madrid.
Dembele set up the first goal and scored the second as the French side dismantled Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup on Wednesday.
Enrique’s side will take on Chelsea in Sunday’s final in their pursuit of a fifth piece of silverware this season, while Dembele will be looking to add to his 51 goal involvements.
The Spanish manager believes this combination of titles and staggering individual numbers makes the Frenchman the obvious candidate to claim the Ballon d’Or.
Discussing the award after Wednesday’s victory, the PSG boss said: "To win it, you have to score goals and get assists, and they have to bring silverware to their teams.
"That is Ousmane Dembele, and he is far and away above other players in my opinion."
The 55-year-old added: "It's the first match in this tournament that we can use [start] Ousmane, and I think he has been our best player this season.
"He deserves to win everything because he gives his all to the club and has done all season."
After picking up an injury with the national team earlier this month, Dembele did not feature in the group stage of the Club World Cup, but came off the bench in the knockout-stage games against Inter Miami and Bayern Munich, scoring PSG’s second against the German side in the quarter-finals.
The 28-year-old’s strikes against Bayern and Madrid provide further evidence of his ability to step up in big moments.
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He provided two assists in PSG’s 5-0 thumping of Inter Milan in May as they won the UEFA Champions League for the first time, and scored vital goals against Liverpool and Arsenal en route to the final.
His contributions on Wednesday against Xabi Alonso's side mean he has now scored 35 goals and registered 16 assists this season for the Ligue 1 outfit, figures which former England striker Callum Wilson believes are worthy of football’s most prestigious individual award.
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Wilson told DAZN: "Unbelievable numbers from Dembele. If he wins the Club World Cup after winning the treble, surely he has to win the Ballon d'Or?"
Dembele is now the favourite for the Ballon d’Or, with competition most likely coming from Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah or PSG team-mate Vitinha.
The 69th edition of the award will be handed out in Paris in September, while the nominees are set to be announced in August.
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