2025 Ballon d'Or favourite Dembele credits Messi for his rise to the top

PSG forward Ousmane Dembele is the heavy favourite to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or, after an electric season, leading the Parisians to an unprecedented treble.

Dembele, who scored 35 goals across all competitions last season, is excited about the opportunity to be crowned Player of the Year, and he credits former teammate and Argentina icon Lionel Messi as a huge driving force.

Reflecting on his time at Camp Nou after joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, Dembele told FourFourTwo:

“I had a very good relationship with Messi from the very first day. My locker was right next to his, and he gave a lot of advice to me.

"He was someone who instinctively knew what you wanted. He told me that I’d have to be serious if I wanted to achieve my dreams – after that, I watched and learned from what he did on the pitch.

“Whether he played as a number 10 or number nine, his positioning was exceptional… Sometimes you don’t see him for about four or five minutes, then as soon as he gets the ball, he instinctively knows what to do.”

Dembele has had an incredible transformation at PSG, and there is no doubt that the Ballon d'Or will be well deserved, after a tremendous season.

Meanwhile, Messi remains the player with the most Ballon d'Or awards, winning 7 during his time at Barcelona, and an eighth after lifting the World Cup with PSG.