Ruiz opens up: Ballon d'Or, Dembélé, Luis Enrique, personality | OneFootball

Fabián Ruiz, the 30-year-old Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, spoke at length to Spanish outlet AS. It was a chance to discuss his goals going forward, the 2026 Ballon d’Or, expectations, forward Ousmane Dembélé (29), coach Luis Enrique, and his own personality.

Ruiz: “What I’ve achieved, feeling important at PSG and with the national team.”

What is left for Fabián to win?

Last year—well, last season—I couldn’t have hoped for anything better, right? On a collective level, I couldn’t have asked for more. I won everything. The last few years have been exceptional, especially these recent ones. At club level, we won the Champions League two years in a row, which is the greatest title you can win. And I was also lucky enough to win the Euros and the World Cup back to back. On a collective level, that’s the greatest trophy you can win.

And individually, there’s something appearing on the horizon: the Ballon d’Or. Everyone has their arguments, and you more than anyone, right?

Well, why not? The truth is, on a collective level, I’ve been the most decorated player. I think I’ve won seven in recent years. I’m very happy with this season, with what I’ve achieved. With what I’ve achieved, with feeling important at PSG and with the national team. That’s important for a player, and especially for me.

The truth is, the Ballon d’Or is a wonderful title, something all players dream of winning. I’m happy that people are talking about me, that my work is being recognized. So I’ll try to finish as high as possible in the rankings—and why not dream about it?

Ruiz: “It feels good to be recognized.”

It sounds good, Fabián, the Ballon d’Or, doesn’t it?

(Smiles) Honestly, when people say that to me, it always makes me happy. Obviously, I’m not going to lie—every player likes to be recognized for their work, just like in any profession. If you do your job well and people outside the team recognize your performances, that you had a good season, it feels good to be recognized.

Ruiz: “You win matches by scoring goals, of course, but it’s the result of teamwork.”

The Ballon d’Or has always been a trophy that puts more emphasis on attackers, but do you think that with Rodri, that perception has shifted somewhat? Do you think its scope has broadened?

Everyone knows it’s normal for attackers to have better stats than midfielders, defenders, or goalkeepers. It’s harder for a defender to reach the same numbers as a forward, but I think that in recent years, other positions have been valued and taken into account more, which is very important. A team is made up of eleven players and substitutes, and I believe a defender or a goalkeeper is just as important as a striker.

In recent years, we’ve seen Modric and Rodri win this trophy. That’s important for the world of football and, above all, for young people. It allows them to take an interest in other positions too, and not just in scoring goals, even though that is also essential. You win matches by scoring goals, of course, but it’s the result of teamwork.

Ruiz: “Once you’ve won, that’s great, but doing it again is a whole different story.”

And you’re a lucky charm.

(He smiles) Sometimes I’d rather not say it too loudly so I don’t jinx the streak, but yes, 50 matches unbeaten with the national team... Let’s hope that run continues for a long time. That would be good for me, but above all for the national team.

Success comes with high expectations, doesn’t it? And this is only going to raise them even more.

Yes, the coach already told us that no one remembers the past anymore; it’s history now, and that’s all well and good, but it’s time to focus on the present. The hardest thing in football is winning again. Once you’ve won, that’s great, but doing it again is a whole different story.

That’s the standard we have to set now: the desire to do it all over again, to keep winning. It’s very difficult, but this team has what it takes to do it, and we’re going after this title with a lot of enthusiasm, a title that we also consider very important. Hopefully we’ll be in the semifinals.

Ruiz: “I don’t see them as rivals, but as teammates who also deserve to be there”

One last question about the Ballon d’Or: who do you see as your main rivals?

Well, a lot of players had a fantastic season. The 30 nominees are there for a reason, and there are excellent players who had remarkable seasons. But if one of my teammates wins it, all the better. I don’t see them as rivals, but as teammates who also deserve to be there, who deserve a chance to win it.

Did Dembélé teach you that last year?

Yes, exactly, (smiles) Ousmane is very approachable and very affectionate, and he always says that teamwork leads to individual awards and that without the help of his team, he wouldn’t have been able to get there. He often thanked us for helping him improve. The coach (Luis Enrique) also helped him a lot. He deserved it.

Ruiz: “We have a great atmosphere in the dressing room and we’re always laughing.”

And now that you’re back from vacation, have you teased Vitinha, Neves, and Ousmane himself a lot? You ended up winning the World Cup, but you knocked them out along the way.

Yes (a half-smile), we have a great atmosphere in the dressing room and we’re always laughing. When I got back, well, it was the usual joke about how we knocked them out, how we brought them down... Because after the match, it wasn’t the right time. But they sent me congratulatory messages, they’re happy for me, for this win. And then in the dressing room, we had a good laugh.

I’d like to ask you about the coaches who have influenced you in recent years. I’ll start with Luis Enrique. Was there something he asked of you that helped you take the next step, or is it more down to your own footballing maturity?

I think the two are linked. We already knew each other from the national team, and I more or less knew what he expected, what he liked. But he pushed me to work on my defending, to develop my aggression, to show me that I was capable of defending, of winning back more balls.

Thanks to that progress and the foundation I already had, we improved a lot right from the start. And everyone knows what an excellent coach he is. And how approachable he is with us. For us players, that’s very important.

Ruiz: “I have the recognition of the people who matter to me”

A quote from the other Luis, De la Fuente, from 2024 before the Euros: “If his name weren’t Fabián, he’d be more recognized...” Does Fabián now have the recognition he deserves?

(Nods) I’ve always said that I’m happy with the affection people show me. I don’t worry about what they might say, but more about the affection they show me. I have the recognition of the people who matter to me, the people close to me: my coaches, my teammates...

That’s what matters most to me, the people I’m with every day. I can’t comment on what people think, but being recognized for your work is always nice.

Ruiz: “It’s a little difficult, but you get used to it. Maturity helps.”

I heard a few days ago that you were with a group of Spaniards in Paris and that at first you were a little embarrassed that they knew who you were, the PSG player. Have you gotten over that barrier, the one where being Fabián, the footballer, is no longer a problem?

Yes, it’s true that when I’m with people I don’t know, I always try not to be recognized, to blend into the crowd. I’ve always been a bit shy, someone who doesn’t want people to know what I do in life because of the consequences. My family and I have always been like that, especially my wife and my sister, who are young.

When they go out, they try to say they aren’t related to me, because they might be seen differently. It’s something we have to accept naturally. It’s a little difficult, but you get used to it. Maturity helps.

Ruiz: “We are people long before we are players. For me, that’s the most important thing.”

That version of Fabián shows up on the pitch; he’s someone who has no problem, no difficulty when he plays...

Yes, I think that in the end, I don’t change, either on the pitch or off it. I try to pass on the values my family instilled in me, on and off the pitch. We are role models for many people, for the children who watch us every day. In the end, I think what we do on the pitch is what children carry with them off it.

I try to set the best example possible. I try to help, whether it’s my opponents or my teammates, and above all, we are people long before we are players. For me, that’s the most important thing.

Ruiz: “It’s incredible, I never could have imagined it...”

And do you often think about that child Fabián who used to go training with his mother and sleep in the car? After everything you’ve achieved, do you have moments when you look back? To think about what you would say to that little boy?

Oh, good question. (He pauses) The truth is, sometimes I don’t think about it. I don’t realize everything I’ve achieved, after so many sacrifices, so much effort, especially from such a young age. (Visibly emotional) But not for me—for my mother, who made so many sacrifices, who worked so hard so that a little boy could do what he loved most: kick a ball around without worrying about what he would become or how far he would go.

My mother just wanted to see me happy, playing without thinking about anything other than becoming a professional. And when I think back on everything I’ve achieved and won... It’s incredible, I never could have imagined it...

And now it makes her happy.

Yes, she’s the happiest of all. I always say it: without her effort and sacrifices, none of this would have been possible. I’ll always be grateful to her. She made more sacrifices than I did. I was just playing football, and she was the one who had to work so hard. Everything I have and everything I’ve won, I owe to her.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.