Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé has said that a potential Ballon d’Or award is firmly at the back of his mind as he prepares for Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan.
The France international has been a key figure for the Parisians during their run to the final and has been one of the outstanding players in Europe this season with 30 goals in all competitions, including a run of 24 in 18 games from December to March.
Those performances have seen Dembélé emerge as the front-runner to win this year’s Ballon d’Or.
But the 28-year-old said that the chance to win the ultimate personal accolade takes second place to winning PSG’s first Champions League title.
“When you are a PSG player, what’s important is to take home the silverware such as the Champions League,” he said. “I am focused on the team, not individual trophies. It [Ballon d’Or] is in the back of mind, but I want to focus on the team.
“Since January, we have really had a change of mindset and we want to continue now and get the victory and we are very excited about the game.
“Inter is a wonderful team that deserves to be in the final. They are physical, know how to defend, how to get up front, so we have a strong opponent.
“I’ve prepared well for this final. Since I was a kid, I’ve been dreaming of playing in this game.
“We have to remain concentrated on the game, on the team, on myself. I hope we’ll be able to produce a fantastic performance.”
Dembélé, who joined PSG from Barcelona in 2023, has helped fill the void left by the departure of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid last summer. Mbappé’s exit followed those of the other two members of the club’s once superstar forward trio, Lionel Messi and Neymar.
With the trip departed, there has been a greater focus on the collective.
“It’s about being a team, not a group of individuals,” PSG captain Marquinhos said. “I’m in love with this team. It’s a delight to be part of the squad.”
Success for PSG would make it the first French champions of Europe since bitter rivals Marseille in 1993, and finally reward years of huge investment from its Qatar Sports Investments, who bought a majority stake in the club in 2011.
The French champions’ only previous Champions League final came in 2020, when they were defeated by Bayern Munich.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
