Ousmane Dembele Emerges As Ballon D'Or Favourite According To Gareth Bale

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Ousmane Dembele is widely considered the frontrunner for this year's Ballon d'Or. Paris Saint-Germain aims to add the Club World Cup to their 2024-25 treble. Gareth Bale, a former Real Madrid winger who ranked sixth in the 2016 Ballon d'Or voting, supports this view. Dembele's pivotal role in PSG's success under Luis Enrique has been noteworthy.

Dembele contributed significantly to PSG's triumphs in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the Champions League during the 2024-25 season. This achievement marked them as only the 11th team to secure a league, domestic cup, and European Cup/Champions League treble. In the Champions League final against Inter, Dembele provided two assists in PSG's 5-0 victory.

Gareth Bale believes that if PSG wins the Club World Cup, it would solidify Dembele's position as a strong contender for the Ballon d'Or. When asked by ESPN about Dembele's chances of being named the world's best player, Bale stated: "Yeah, I think so. I think you also have to look at what the teams have won."

Bale further explained that winning major trophies like the Champions League and potentially the Club World Cup strengthens Dembele's case for individual recognition. He added: "It does make him the frontrunner by some way, in my opinion." Dembele's performance has transformed PSG into a trophy-winning team.

Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Dembele has been involved in 49 goals across all competitions (35 goals and 14 assists). Only three players from Europe's top five leagues have more goal involvements: Mohamed Salah with 57, Raphinha with 56, and Harry Kane with 53. Kylian Mbappe shares an equal tally with Dembele.

Dembele averages a goal every 96.94 minutes during this period. Among players who scored at least 20 times in Europe's top five leagues, only Patrik Schick (92.78), Robert Lewandowski (93.5), Ayoze Perez (93.73), Alexander Sorloth (96.42), and Kane (96.46) have better minutes-per-goal ratios.

Club World Cup Performance

An injury kept Dembele out of PSG's initial Club World Cup matches; however, he returned as a substitute in the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich and scored a crucial goal. He then played a key role in PSG's dominant 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

Dembele has already scored twice and provided one assist at the Club World Cup. His impact was felt when he came off the bench to score against Bayern Munich in a thrilling 2-0 quarter-final victory.

As PSG prepares to face Chelsea in Sunday's final at MetLife Stadium, all eyes will be on Dembele to lead his team once again. A victory could further bolster his chances of claiming football's most prestigious individual award.