Kylian Mbappe Endorses Ousmane Dembele For Ballon D'Or Recognition In 2025

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Kylian Mbappe has expressed his belief that Ousmane Dembele, his former teammate at Paris Saint-Germain, should win the Ballon d'Or this year. He even mentioned he would personally deliver the award to Dembele. Under Luis Enrique's guidance, Dembele played a crucial role as PSG secured their first Champions League title and also triumphed in Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.

Dembele's impressive performance saw him contribute to 46 goals, with 33 goals and 13 assists across all competitions in the 2024-25 season. He also scored twice on the way to the Club World Cup final during the summer. Only Mohamed Salah, Raphinha, and Harry Kane surpassed his goal involvement tally, while Mbappe equaled it during his first season at Real Madrid.

Mbappe is also among those shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or alongside Real Madrid teammates Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. The French captain set a new record by becoming Real Madrid's highest-scoring player in their debut season, surpassing Ivan Zamorano's 37 goals from 1992-93 with an impressive 43 goals across all competitions.

However, players from Barcelona are expected to challenge Dembele for the award. Raphinha and Lamine Yamal have been standout performers for Hansi Flick's team. Yamal scored 18 goals and provided 21 assists for Barcelona while completing more dribbles than any other player in Europe's top five leagues.

Raphinha matched Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League record of 21 goal contributions in a single season from 2013-14. Only Lionel Messi has scored more goals for Barcelona in one campaign than Raphinha's 13. Despite this competition, Mbappe supports Dembele to become the sixth French player to win this prestigious individual honour.

In an interview with TF1, Mbappe stated: "Does Ousmane Dembele deserve it? Of course. If it were up to me, I'd deliver it to his house." He also expressed hope that Achraf Hakimi would be recognised because defenders deserve acknowledgment too. Regarding Lamine Yamal, he commented: "Well, no, he's a Barcelona player. But he's a very good player."

Real Madrid's Promising Start

Mbappe and Real Madrid have begun the 2025-26 season strongly under new manager Xabi Alonso. The team has won all three of their opening matches with Mbappe scoring three goals. This marks a positive start after a trophyless domestic campaign last year in Spain.

Mbappe shared his thoughts with BILD about Alonso: "I had a great impression of him... You see a guy who wants to succeed." He noted that Alonso knows Real Madrid well due to his playing history there. The team is working hard to implement Alonso's strategies as they aim for success this season.

The current season holds significant importance for both Real Madrid and its players as they prepare for upcoming challenges including the World Cup. Mbappe emphasised that learning from last season is crucial but now it's time to demonstrate what they've learned on the field.