This story is part of Billboard’s Global World Cup Series, a collection of 11 cover stories which pairs top soccer stars across the world competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with highly-touted musicians in accompanying countries.
In 2025, Ousmane Dembélé and Ninho fulfilled their dreams.
One became a Ballon d’Or winner — a prize handed out to the consensus best football player in the world — without ever having been nominated for the trophy before. The other, who was already the artist with the most singles certifications in French music history, according to French recording industry trade group SNEP, sold out the Stade de France, the country’s largest venue — twice.
Yet few would have bet on either of them in the beginning. For the past 10 years, the two adidas ambassadors have been in a league of their own.
Because they never stopped believing in their destiny, Billboard France brought Ousmane Dembélé and Ninho together, virtuosos in their respective fields with similar trajectories. On June 16, Dembélé will begin to chase a second star with France, starting the country’s journey toward the World Cup; Ninho, meanwhile, is already back in the studio, working on his next album. The cycle continues.
