Life Unchanged by Gold
Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé has spoken candidly about how winning football’s ultimate individual accolade impacted his life. Breaking his silence during an exclusive interview with The Athletic, the 29-year-old current holder admitted, “I don’t think it has really changed my life, even though it WAS INCREDIBLE”.
Childhood Dreams and Obsessions
- The Aspiration: Reflecting on his youthful ambitions, the French international stated, “When you’re young, you DREAM of winning this kind of individual trophy, even though it wasn’t a goal or an obsession for me”.
- The Magic Moment: The peak of the experience occurred when Brazilian icon Ronaldinho took the stage to physically present him with the prize. “It was incredible when RONALDINHO PRESENTED IT TO ME. I was proud of myself,” Dembélé shared emotionally.
- An Eternal Memory: He concluded that the experience would stay with him forever, calling it “a UNIQUE MOMENT that I’ll REMEMBER for the rest of my life”.
Defending the Crown
Dembélé captured the prestigious title following an extraordinary quintuple-winning season with PSG where he racked up a devastating 33 goals and 14 assists. With France Football newly releasing the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 edition, the winger is once again among the nominees and heavily favored to mount a strong defense of his crown at the grand gala in London on October 26.
