Ballon d’Or 2026: Ousmane Dembélé’s categorical refusal

2025 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé does not want to campaign to retain his trophy this year.

When approached by France Football to provide the jurors with arguments that might convince them to vote for him, Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé refused to take part in the exercise. "Ah, I don’t have any. No, I don’t have any, I’ve never done that. No, I never sell myself. They are the ones who decide, but I don’t sell myself," said the France international, determined to let the voters judge his candidacy without promoting himself.

Read also: Ballon d’Or 2026: Christophe Galtier names his winner

Captain of the France team in the absence of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé will even wear the captain’s armband for France tomorrow against Italy in the Nations League. It is a symbol that makes the PSG player proud. "I am only vice-captain. It’s a source of pride, and it’s nice. I’m not going to change the way I am. (...) I already talk too much to my teammates. I want to remain the same. The integration of the new players happens naturally. I don’t want to change; I’m always there to help my teammates," confided the former FC Barcelona player.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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