Winning Ballon dOr was never a personal objective, says Dembele
Ousmane Dembele became the first Frenchman to win the Ballon d'Or award since Karim Benzema won in 2022 and the sixth overall from his country.
New Delhi: Ousmane Dembele said winning the Ballon d’Or wasn't a personal goal but couldn't beat the tears away when he was on stage to speak after being named the best men's player of last season.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward became the first Frenchman to win the award since Karim Benzema won in 2022 and the sixth overall from his country.
After receiving the award from Brazil legend Ronaldinho, Dembele couldn;t hold back his tears as he spoke about his family, with his mother on stage.
"I didn’t want to cry, but as soon as I started talking about my family, about the people who have been there for me, it came up and I couldn’t hold it back,” Dembele told Reuters.
Dembe beat Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal to the prize, who attended the event and congratulated him later.
The 28-year-old said his target was never set for individual honours, but the Ballon d'Or is a special award.
"It was never a personal objective. On an individual level, having a trophy like this is magnificent. But when it happens, of course, you’re happy, you’re delighted.”
Dembele helped PSG complete the treble of Champions League, Ligue 1 and French Cup last season as well as the UEFA Super Cup this year.
"Yes, of course, it’s for the team. For all the people who are fans of me, all the Parisian supporters, the whole club, the staff and the players,” he said.
In the ongoing new season, Dembele is currently sidelined for weeks with an injury but he said: "It’s better, I’ll be back soon.”
'Grateful to PSG'
While fighting back tears on stage, Dembe also said he owed it to PSG, coach Luis Enrique and the players for the accolade.
"I want to thank PSG who came to get me in 2023. It’s an incredible family. The president Nasser (Al-Khelaifi) is like a father to me. I also want to thank all the staff and the coach, who have been exceptional with me — he too is like a father — and all my teammates," he said.
"We have practically won everything together. You supported me in the good and the difficult times. This individual trophy is one the team has won collectively.”