Kylian Mbappé with a special message to Ousmane Dembélé following his Ballon d’Or victory | OneFootball

He wasn’t around to congratulate him personally, but Kylian Mbappé (26) didn’t forget about his French teammate’s special night on Monday.

Ousmane Dembélé (28) became the sixth Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or on Monday, and his former Paris Saint-Germain clubmate sent out a special congratulations to him online.

“Ousmane Dembélé. These is emotional, brother! You deserve [it] x1000,” the French captain said on Instagram.

The man who was with Les Bleus when they captured the 2018 World Cup led PSG to their first UEFA Champions League title last season, scoring eight goals en route to their triumph.

Real Madrid have a fixture on Tuesday versus Levante, and Mbappé couldn’t attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday as a result. The Parisian-born striker wound up seventh in the final voting, one place lower than his 2024 ranking.

Dembélé also played a significant role in Les Parisiens repeating as Ligue 1 champions, finishing as the joint top goalscorer, along with Mason Greenwood (23), with 21 goals.

He’s the first French player to win the prestigious award since Karim Benzema (37) in 2023.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre