Ballon d'or: Dembélé reveals the congratulatory message that moved him the most

Ousmane Dembélé is the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner. The Frenchman was especially touched by a message from living legend Lionel Messi.

Ousmane Dembélé became, last Monday, the sixth French player in history to win the Ballon d'Or. The PSG star was honored for an outstanding season with the Parisian club. But the Paris forward hasn't forgotten his time at Barça, and several club legends—including Lionel Messi—were among the first to send their congratulations.

"The message that really stood out to me? It was from Lionel Messi. He sent me a direct message. There was Xavi Hernandez (my former coach at FC Barcelona), and a lot of other Barça alumni. Luis Suarez... they were happy for me. And the PSG guys? They all messaged me—Achraf (Hakimi), the coach, Luis Campos, everyone," he revealed in an exclusive interview with France Football after receiving his Ballon d'Or.

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.