Ousmane Dembélé, Luis Enrique and João Neves took PSG to new heights but they were not the only stars in the league
By Get French Football News
Ousmane Dembélé has been a man on a mission in 2025. “I had a challenge with my friends. There is something to win from it: Patek and Rolex watches,” he joked after he scored the winner in the Trophée des Champions in January. The more goals, the more watches was the bet made. But his 25 goals in 2025 have earned him more than expensive wrist pieces.
They brought PSG their holy grail, the Champions League, and they could yet bring him the Ballon d’Or. In France, there is some heavy lobbying for Dembélé to win the award, starting with his own manager Luis Enrique and extending to Marquinhos, who had crowds of fans chanting “Dembélé, Ballon d’Or” during the open-top bus parade around Paris, and artist DJ Snake, who did the same at the Parc des Princes later that day.
Dembélé turning from a dazzling but profligate winger to a clinical No 9 was not on anyone’s Ligue 1 bingo card this year but his metamorphosis has taken PSG to the next level. His goal output fell short of Kylian Mbappé’s total last year but, in terms of his overall play and particularly his dogged pressing, he has proven an upgrade on the France captain. Who would have thought that at the start of the year?
