Messi shows his emotions after Dembélé's Ballon d'Or victory
Ousmane Dembélé wins the Ballon d'Or (photo: Getty Images)
World football legend Lionel Messi congratulated Ousmane Dembélé on winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
Messi reaches out to his former teammate
The Inter Miami forward and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner left a comment under the Frenchman's post on social media, emphasizing that his former clubmate fully deserved the prestigious award.
"Amazing Ous!!! Congrats, I am very happy for you. You deserve this," Messi wrote.
The two players know each other well: from August 2017 to August 2021, they played together at Barcelona.
Later, Dembélé left the club and, in the summer of 2023, joined PSG. Interestingly, it was during this period that Messi left the Parisian club and moved to American side Inter Miami.
Dembélé's emotional speech
On September 22 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France, Football named Ousmane Dembélé the best footballer in the world. For the 28-year-old winger, this is the first Ballon d'Or of his career.
During his acceptance speech, he could not hold back his emotions and cried while thanking his loved ones and former coaches.
"I want to thank PSG, who came to get me in 2023. It's an incredible family. I want to thank all the clubs I've played for... FC Barcelona, the club of my dreams. I played with Lionel Messi. I want to thank him, too. I learned so much from him. To have been able to play with Lionel Messi, I have learned so much from him," Dembélé said.
In addition, the Frenchman thanked the French national team coach Didier Deschamps and expressed hope for future success with the national squad.
He concluded his speech by thanking his mother, noting that she had always supported him in the most difficult moments.
Historic achievement
Dembélé's win was a landmark moment for PSG. It is only the second time in the club's history that a player has won the Ballon d'Or. The first was Lionel Messi, who claimed the award in 2021.
In the final France Football ranking, 17-year-old Barcelona talent Lamine Yamal came second, while PSG and Portugal midfielder Vitinha finished third.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah took fourth place, and rounding out the top five was Barcelona winger Raphinha.
