Ousmane Dembélé Reveals What He Changed to Win the Ballon d'Or

Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, has revealed the changes he made to secure the individual accolade, an award he is once again a contender for this year.

However, the competition is fierce, and the French international wouldn't even award the prize to himself, opting instead for his teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The two footballers gave a joint interview to BBC on Thursday as part of a campaign that has gained momentum in recent weeks. Unlike his teammate Kylian Mbappé, Dembélé isn't obsessed with winning the award this year. Yet, he disclosed the formula he believes allowed him to claim the coveted prize last season, attributing it to a shift in his approach.

“Mentality,” he states as the primary change. “As you get older, at 28, you become much more mature. You progress in football. I'm no longer the same player I was at 20 in Dortmund. Many things change. You want to score goals, provide assists, but over the years, I started to prioritize efficiency in everything I do on the pitch. And the most important thing remains helping the team.”

The 2018 World Champion explains that his career has also contributed to his maturity, especially his stint at Barcelona. “When you're 20, you want to pull off two or three tricks, to hear the crowd roar, that's normal,” he smiles. “Over the years, I started to prioritize efficiency. At Barcelona, I played with the best in the world, I was with Lionel Messi, I saw how he played, and everything he did was for efficiency. I learned a lot from that.”

He assures that he hasn't changed his style since achieving his new status. “When you win such a trophy, many things change, but I try to remain the same,” Dembélé explains. “Expectations are higher, there's a bit of pressure, the scrutiny isn't the same. But once I step onto the pitch, I don't change my way of playing.”

Although he doesn't put himself forward as a candidate, Dembélé would accept another triumph with immense pride. “Once you've won it, you don't want people to say it was luck,” he smiles. “You want to continue to be at the top. It's simply pride, these are exceptional moments, but we'll see what happens.”