Emotional Ousmane Dembele breaks into tears thanking mum after winning Ballon d’Or | OneFootball

An emotional Ousmane Dembele broke into tears as he thanked his mum for supporting his career after winning the men’s Ballon d’Or in Paris.

Dembele received football’s most illustrious individual honour after leading Paris Saint-Germain to Champions League glory last season. The 28-year-old forward beat Barcelona and Spain star Lamine Yamal to the top prize.

Dembele used to be known as a promising but inconsistent young talent who struggled after a big-money move to Barcelona in 2017. But he was transformed after arriving at PSG in 2023, with manager Luis Enrique helping to turn him into a complete forward who offered defensive work as well as goals.

Dembele broke into tears as he thanks his mum (AP)

He scored 35 goals and made 14 assists in all competitions last season and was the top scorer in Ligue 1 as PSG won the title. It was the club’s Champions League triumph, though, that gave Dembele the edge over Yamal to win the Ballon d’Or, with Dembele providing two assists as the French side routed Inter 5-0 in the final.

The announcement of Dembele’s name, read out by former Barcelona and PSG superstar Ronaldinho, was met by raucous cheers and applause at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, as well as fireworks on the streets outside. Dembele then became emotional as he thanked for mum, who was invited onto the stage.

“I didn’t want to cry, but as soon as I started talking about my family, about the people who have been there for me, it came up and I couldn’t hold it back,” Dembele said afterwards, as reported by Reuters.

Dembele also mentioned his first club Stade Rennais and the France national team, vowing to win another World Cup next year with coach Didier Deschamps after their 2018 victory.

“What I have just experienced is exceptional, I have no words for it, what happened with PSG,” Dembele said on stage. “I feel a bit of stress, it’s not easy to win this trophy, and to have it presented to me by Ronaldinho, a legend of football, is exceptional.

“I want to thank PSG who came to get me in 2023. It’s an incredible family. The president Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] is like a father to me. I also want to thank all the staff and the coach, who have been exceptional with me - he too is like a father - and all my teammates.

“We have practically won everything together. You supported me in the good and the difficult times. This individual trophy is one the team has won collectively.”