Luis Enrique, manager of the latest UEFA Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain, has named Ousmane Dembele as his personal pick for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Enrique delivered the Parisians’ first-ever UEFA trophy to them two years after joining them. The former Barcelona and Spain manager replaced Christophe Galtier and oversaw a clearout of star names including Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé.
Many expected his team to stutter for a bit, even though club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi spared no expense to replace these big names, but he has led them to seven titles in the two years he has been with them, with one being the elusive Champions League title. Dembele, formerly of Barcelona, just like Enrique, was key to these successes.
The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony is drawing closer, and the front-runners have already been identified. Dembele happens to be one of them. Following his team’s triumph in the Champions League, he is now being touted as the next winner, especially after UEFA named him the player of the season. Enrique has thrown his support behind the calls for Dembele to be awarded the Ballon d’Or.
“I would like to say that everyone is talking about the Ballon d’Or, but I would give it to Ousmane Dembele,” Enrique told a press conference after the Champions League triumph. “If we think about how he defended, he showed just what he was made of. He was a leader, he was humble, and he got back down and defended. I think, without a shadow of a doubt, he deserves this.
“Not only for the goals that he scored but also for the pressing we saw. We have seen such a season from him, and he was exceptional in this final.”
The former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund winger scored 33 goals in all competitions in the just concluded 2024/25 season. 22 of them came in 2025, as PSG powered their way through a sea of tough opponents to win their first-ever Champions League title.
Enrique’s team also dominated the team of the season awards following the completion of the 2024/25 UCL tournament. Young winger Désiré Doué bagged the young player of the year award ahead of Lamine Yamal, sparking some controversy. He was also part of the seven PSG players included in the UCL team of the season.
UEFA explained their decision to include only four players from the other team who competed in the tournament, saying, “We selected these attacking players to reflect the exceptional mobility that was a hallmark of Paris Saint-Germain’s victorious approach.
“The chosen forward line represents a flexible team with attackers capable of interchanging positions.”
Enrique and Dembele will now turn their attention to the FIFA Club World Cup.
