Ballon d'or: words from Dembélé's mother after her son's triumph

Fatimata Dembélé, mother of Ousmane Dembélé, opened up after her son claimed the Ballon d'Or.

In an exclusive interview with Le Parisien, Fatimata Dembélé reflected on her son's journey to becoming the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner. It all happened this Monday during a historic night for Ousmane Dembélé. She didn't hide her emotions. “Well, the Ballon d'Or is really something else (she’s at a loss for words). Even in his youth, we talked about Barcelona, his dreams, but the Ballon d'Or, we never thought we'd get there! To imagine your son as the best player in the world, honestly… Yet, I guarantee you, I'm not surprised.” she said.

Earlier in the interview, Fatimata Dembélé had indeed revealed that wearing the Barça colors was a dream for her son—a dream that came true in 2017, just as his move to PSG did two years ago.

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.