Ousmane Dembele backed to win Ballon d'Or after delivering 'crazy numbers' for Paris Saint-Germain and France - 'Winner hands down'
By Matt Jones
Published 14/07/2025 at 17:57 GMT+1
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Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele has been backed to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or by Gael Clichy. The former Arsenal left-back praised his fellow Frenchman for delivering "crazy numbers" in front of goal in the 2024/25 season. The awards ceremony takes place in Paris on September 22. After helping Paris Saint-Germain win the treble, Clichy believes Dembele is "hands down" the best player.
Dembele brushes off Ballon d’Or talk ahead of ‘tough’ Champions League final against Inter
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Former Arsenal and Manchester City full-back Gael Clichy believes Ousmane Dembele should be the runaway winner of this year's Ballon d'Or award.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward enjoyed a sensational 2024/25 season, as he netted 35 goals in 53 matches for his club.
That played a big hand in Luis Enrique's side lifting a magnificent treble, as their Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles were joined by a maiden UEFA Champions League success.
He faces competition from Barcelona star Lamine Yamal to be crowned the world's best player.
But Clichy believes Dembele's numbers for the campaign put him head and shoulders above the rest.
"The Ballon d'Or rewards players who are decisive," he told RMC Sport. "You have to take into account individual statistics, which have been highlighted by Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Lionel Messi.
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"This year, Ousmane Dembele has some pretty crazy numbers. And when he came on during the match, he was sharp, with or without possession, when he pressed.
"For me today, Dembele is the winner hands down."
The only blot on Dembele's season was failing to help PSG win the FIFA Club World Cup.
A shock 3-0 defeat in the final to Chelsea was marred by some ugly scenes after the final whistle.
The forward had a frustrating evening too, as he landed just one shot on target and was booked early on.
That does not detract from a fantastic campaign, one in which his 35 goals were accompanied by a further 16 assists.
And it is not just on the club stage that he has shone over the last 12 months.
That forward also helped his country into the last four of the UEFA Nations League, scoring a couple of goals en route to the semi-finals.
Clichy has compared Dembele's numbers to a fellow Frenchman, whom he played with during his career at Arsenal.
"With Thierry Henry, we say that Ousmane is the most complete, he can score and make others score, cause chaos around him, he contributes defensively with his pressing," he continued.
"Today we have to give credit to Ousmane on these pressing phases, especially for players of this quality, he makes the work of an entire team easier. It's rare to see a player like that get in tune."
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Dembele strikes PSG into third-minute lead as Emirates stunned
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Dembele is the overwhelming favourite to win the Ballon d'Or with the bookmakers.
Should he do so, the 28-year-old will become only the second French winner of the award this century, after 2021 victor Karim Benzema.
Alongside Yamal, further competition comes from Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, PSG's Vitinha and Barcelona forward Raphinha.
The awards ceremony takes place on Monday, September 22 in Paris.
Stream the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more on TNT Sports and discovery+
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