Paris Saint-Germain president tips Ousmane Dembele for Ballon d'Or as he pleads with journalists to 'give honest opinion' when voting
By Will Conroy
Updated 29/08/2025 at 22:17 GMT+1
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Paris Saint-Germain's president believes Ousmane Dembele is the favourite for the Ballon d'Or, and he has asked journalists to "give their honest opinion" when voting. Nasser Al-Khelaifi described the French forward as an "amazing player" and an "amazing person", and told reporters that "all of you guys know that". Dembele is the frontrunner for the award after his key role in PSG's treble.
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Paris Saint-Germain’s president has pleaded with journalists to "give their honest opinion" when voting for the Ballon d’Or, while backing Ousmane Dembele for the award.
Dembele had an excellent campaign in the 2024/25 season, scoring 33 goals and registering 15 assists in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side.
And after PSG won their first-ever UEFA Champions League title in May to secure the treble, the French forward became widely tipped as the frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or.
With the winner of the prestigious award set to be announced in Paris next month, PSG’s president is hoping the respective journalists will cast their vote honestly.
When asked whether Dembele is the favourite for the prize at the Champions League draw this week, Nasser Al-Khelaifi told reporters: "For sure, he is. Dembele is an amazing player, an amazing striker, and he works really hard for the team. And an amazing person also.
"I think all of you guys know that, so I hope everybody gives [their] honest opinion."
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Dembele was a key figure in PSG claiming their maiden Champions League title last season.
The forward contributed vital goals against Liverpool and Arsenal en route to the final, and then made two assists in the 5-0 thrashing of Internazionale in Munich.
Al-Khelaifi previously said there is "no doubt" the Frenchman will be crowned the winner of the Ballon d’Or, claiming it would indicate a "problem" with the award if he lost out.
"Ousmane’s season is magnificent. There is no doubt that he won’t win the Ballon d’Or. If he doesn’t win it, there is a problem with the Ballon d’Or. He has done everything," he told DAZN in July.
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The winner of the award is chosen through a dual system of voting.
Journalists from France Football and L'Equipe have already worked together to produce a combined list of 30 official nominees.
Now, one football journalist from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations will vote for their top 10 players.
Whoever amasses the most points from the 100 journalists takes home the prize.
Stream the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more on TNT Sports and discovery+
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