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PSG boss Luis Enrique propelled Ousmane Dembele's chances to win the Ballon d'Or with his comments after drubbing Inter to win the Champions League.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique campaigned for Ousmane Dembele to win the Ballon d’Or in what seemed like a veiled dig at Kylian Mbappe after they thumped Inter to win the UEFA Champions League, the first in their history.
What Enrique said
The former Barcelona manager has just led a second club to a treble, and in his post-match comments, he furthered Dembele's claim for the Ballon d’Or.
He said that the former Rennes forward was deserving of the Ballon d'Or, citing his defensive input in the 5-0 drubbing of their Italian opposition, in which he registered two assists.
"I’d give the Ballon d’Or to Mr Ousmane Dembélé,” Enrique said, per Fabrizio Romano. “The way he defended tonight… only that can be worth the Ballon d’Or.
“This is how you lead a team. Goals, titles, leadership, defending, how he was pressing. Ousmane is my Ballon d’Or. No doubts at all."
Enrique's comments emphasised how much he valued a forward line with intense defensive input. This was a point of conflict between him and Kylian Mbappe, who, in the Spaniard's opinion, did not work hard enough defensively, leading Enrique to question his leadership in a famous video clip from a club documentary.
For Enrique, the forwards are the first line of defence, and Mbappe, with his otherworldly attacking prowess, is not the most reliable in that regard. This has also earned him criticism at Real Madrid, where he and Vinicius have been accused of being poor pressers.
Dembele, on the other hand, stepped up significantly in this campaign. Despite his incredible offensive output, 33 goals and 15 assists in all competitions this season, Enrique highlighted his defensive contributions first.
Meanwhile, Mbappe was one of the first to congratulate Paris Saint-Germain for finally matching rivals, Marseille, in number of Champions League titles won.
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