FFF President says Ousmane Dembélé ‘deserves’ to win Ballon d’Or | OneFootball

The president of the FFF, Philippe Diallo, has said that Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé (28) “deserves” to win the Ballon d’Or this year.

There has been plenty of lobbying for Dembélé to win the prestigious individual prize. The Frenchman has had an exceptional 2025, both on an individual level and collectively. He has netted 25 goals since the turn of the year and played a big part in PSG completing a clean sweep, winning Ligue 1, the UEFA Champions League, the Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions.

There was plenty of support for Dembélé to win the Ballon d’Or after PSG’s Champions League triumph, with Luis Enrique and club captain Marquinhos both calling for him to win the prize. FFF president Diallo has now added his voice to these calls.

“He is perhaps the favourite,” began Diallo in an interview with Le Figaro. “Ousmane Dembélé has had an exceptional season. I am delighted that we (France) have two players (Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé) who should at least be on the podium, and that Dembélé deserves to win this trophy.”

Whilst the PSG forward is one of the frontrunners to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal (17) is also among the favourites. The Spaniard, who last year won Euro 2024 with La Roja, won the La Liga title with formative club Barcelona this season.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle