Lionel Messi sends message to Ousmane Dembele after Ballon d’Or triumph | OneFootball

Lionel Messi has congratulated Ousmane Dembele on his Ballon d’Or success, telling the Paris Saint-Germain forward “you deserve it” after the Frenchman was presented with the prestigious prize.

Dembele edged out contenders including Lamine Yamal to secure the men’s Ballon d’Or after a fine season at PSG, helping the club to an elusive Champions League crown and another Ligue 1 title.

The 28-year-old has flourished in the last couple of seasons having long been regarded as a top talent, and spent time alongside Messi at Barcelona earlier in his career.

Dembele became the then joint-most expensive signing in history after being bought by the Catalan club from Borussia Dortmund, and while he endured fluctuations in form during his time at Barcelona, he has come fully to the fore since returning to France.

Messi sent congratulations to his former teammate on social media, saying: “Amazing Ous! Congrats, I am very happy for you. You deserve this.”

The Argentina star’s eight Ballon d’Or awards are a record, with Messi three clear of long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Between 2008 and 2023, the pair won every year bar two (Luka Modric, 2018, and Karim Benzema, 2022) but since Messi’s last award in 2023, six different players have featured on the podium.

Barcelona’s teenage phenom Yamal and PSG teammate Vitinha were the closest challengers to Dembele in the voting for 2025, while Rodri, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham were the top three last year.