'He doesn’t even need Mbappe' - Fans tip Demebele for 2nd Ballon d'Or following World Cup hat-trick

France rounded off a flawless FIFA World Cup group stage campaign in emphatic fashion on Friday, dismantling Norway 4-1 as Ousmane Dembélé delivered a stunning first-half hat-trick to send social media into meltdown.

The reigning Ballon d’Or winner needed just 25 minutes to score three times before Désiré Doué added a late fourth, ensuring Les Bleus finished top of Group I with maximum points.

Norway, who had heavily rotated their squad by resting stars Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, pulled one back through Thelo Aasgaard but were ultimately overwhelmed by France’s attacking quality.

Jørgen Strand Larsen also missed a second-half penalty as France comfortably saw out the victory.

The dominant display from Dembele on Friday afternoon, immediately reignited the Ballon d’Or debate.

One viral reaction that quickly spread across X summed up the mood:

“Turns out that Dembélé doesn’t even need Mbappé to help him secure the Ballon d’Or.”

The post referenced the long-running debate over whether Kylian Mbappé’s presence in France’s attack overshadows Dembélé’s individual brilliance. Instead, the Paris Saint-Germain winger answered emphatically with one of the finest individual performances of the tournament.

His treble also thrust him firmly into the Golden Boot conversation while reinforcing France’s credentials as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

See some other reactions from X below.

With qualification already secured, Norway manager Ståle Solbakken opted to leave Haaland, Ødegaard and several other regular starters on the bench, prioritising freshness ahead of the knockout rounds.

But France showed no such mercy.

Dembélé struck three times in a devastating opening half before Doué sealed victory deep into stoppage time.

Despite Larsen’s missed penalty and several promising Norwegian moments after the break, Mike Maignan and the French defence ensured the result was never seriously in doubt.

The victory means France finish Group I with a perfect record and head into the Round of 32 full of momentum.

For Dembélé, however, the night may carry even greater significance. After some questioned whether he could consistently dominate on the international stage, the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner produced a performance that has many believing football’s biggest individual prize could remain firmly in his hands, even though the tournament is far from over.