Luis Enrique on Ousmane Dembélé: ‘The Ballon d’Or is over. It means nothing.’ | OneFootball

Ousmane Dembélé (28) could return to the pitch on Tuesday night. Since the last time he took to the pitch, the Frenchman was awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or trophy, however, for Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique, that is very much in the past.

It was Luis Enrique who sang the “Ousmane, Ballon d’Or” chant in his press conference, ahead of the ceremony back in September, during which Dembélé pipped Lamine Yamal to the individual prize.

However, prior to the ceremony, Dembélé was injured on international duty and has not played since. PSG have been cautious with the Frenchman’s recovery, and whilst he is in the matchday squad for tonight’s UEFA Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen, he is not expected to start.

However, when talking about Dembélé, Luis Enrique wants to start talking about the player and not the accolade that he is currently defined by. “You (the media) see things in a different way. He isn’t the Ballon d’Or; he is Ousmane Dembélé. The person he is and the energy that he brings are more important to the team,” began Luis Enrique in an interview with Canal Plus.

The Spaniard added, “The Ballon d’Or is over […] you value that, but it means nothing. For us, the important thing is to get back Marquinhos, Désiré Doué, and Ousmane! I am happier with his energy, with how he is as a person, than the Ballon d’Or; the Ballon d’Or is over.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle