The 70 Year Curse: The Terrifying Ballon d'Or Jinx Threatening France’s World Cup Dream

04.07.26 FT World Cup

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Didier Deschamps leads France into the World Cup 2026 knockouts this week aiming to conquer an infamous individual jinx.

According to the prominent French publication Le Parisien, a bizarre historical trend has haunted the game since the inception of the Ballon d'Or in 1956. No reigning player of the year has ever managed to lift the World Cup trophy in the calendar year immediately following their individual coronation.

Ousmane Dembélé who captured the prestigious 2025 award after driving Paris Saint Germain to a historic UEFA Champions League title, now carries this heavy historical burden alongside superstars Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise.

Decades of heavy heartbreak

The French newspaper pointed out that this peculiar phenomenon has struck down legendary figures across different eras. Real Madrid icon Alfredo Di Stéfano was the very first casualty when Spain completely failed to qualify for the 1958 tournament.

Decades later, Danish forward Allan Simonsen suffered an identical fate missing out on the 1978 edition entirely.

Even within French football history, the legendary Michel Platini fell victim to the jinx in 1986. Despite entering the finals in Mexico after winning three consecutive Ballon d'Or trophies, his star studded midfield fell short in the semi finals against West Germany.

Narrow escapes and injury blights

Statistically the reigning player of the year has only managed to reach the grand finale five times in seventeen tournament editions. The most recent iteration in 2022 saw Lionel Messi lift the trophy for Argentina but he did so only because Karim Benzema had claimed the individual trophy months prior.

Crucially the French striker was forced to withdraw from that tournament entirely due to a late training injury leaving the curse technically unbroken for active players.

Defying the weight of history

Defying these massive historical trends requires peak psychological and physical resilience from a squad's talisman. A striking parallel can be found in Roberto Baggio's dramatic 1994 campaign with Italy. Baggio entered the tournament in the United States as the undisputed 1993 Ballon d'Or winner, practically dragging the Azzurri to the final with clutch knockout goals against Nigeria, Spain and Bulgaria.

Yet, the curse struck in the most painful way possible, as his infamous penalty miss in the shootout handed the trophy to Brazil. Dembélé must now channel his electric pace and creative flair to ensure his name does not end up alongside Baggio and Platini in the history books of World Cup near-misses.

Khaled Hegazy |

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Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

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