Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has tipped Ousmane Dembele to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or after the French team triumphed over Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final in Munich on Saturday, Afrosport reports.
Dembele, of Mauritanian, Senegalese and Malian heritage, provided assists for the second and fourth goals scored by Dessire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to hand PSG their first-ever Champions League title.
The former Barcelona man ended the season with 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 competitive games, and Enrique believes he stands out among other exciting players in the PSG squad.
“I think it’s very difficult because when we sign very young players and they come to a club that is as big as Paris Saint-Germain, we are talking about (Joao) Neves, [Desire Doue, [Willian] Pacho,” the Spanish tactician said.
“I don’t want to leave anyone out here, all of these players have brought something to the team. And this has allowed us to get to the final, that we are at.
“I think that we have shown how exceptional this is and would like to say that everyone is talking about the Ballon d’Or, but I would give it to Ousmane Dembele just because if we think about how he defended today, he showed just what he was made of.
“He was a leader, he was humble, he got back down [the pitch] and he defended, and I think that without a shadow of a doubt he deserves this, not only for the goals that he scored but also for the pressing that was seen. We’ve seen such a season from him, but he was exceptional in this final.”
Paris shines even more now! ✨❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/PeJbG5yVey
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) June 1, 2025
Enrique went on to reflect on the moment PSG fans paid tribute to his late daughter Xana, who died six years ago due to bone cancer, calling it emotional and at the same time beautiful.
“Yeah, it was very emotional. It was beautiful to think that the supporters had thought about me and my family,” he added. “I don’t need to win the Champions League or even win a game to think about my daughter.
“My daughter is always with me. She’s here and she’s supporting my family. I feel her presence even when we lose. It’s just about pulling everything we went through together and really take the positives out of the negative situations.
“That’s my mindset, that’s my mentality, it’s my family’s mentality. I was delighted to see the banner, but I don’t need a trophy to think about my daughter, she’s always here with me.”
PSG’s Champions League triumph saw them complete a historic treble. It also saw Enrique become only the second manager to win the treble with two different clubs after Pep Guardiola.
