Ousmane Dembele Archives

Lionel Messi backs THIS PLAYER for FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award

Lionel Messi has voted in favour of former Barcelona teammate Ousmane Dembele for the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award, it has been revealed following the release of official voting details by world football’s governing body.

FIFA published the ballots of national team captains, coaches and selected media representatives from each member association after the awards ceremony in Doha, where Dembele was crowned the 2025 FIFA Men’s Player of the Year.

The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and France forward finished ahead of Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, with Kylian Mbappe placing third.

Messi, who had previously won the award, named Mbappe as his second choice, while opting for Yamal, the teenager who had inherited his iconic Barcelona No. 10 shirt, as his third pick.

Dembele’s triumph capped a remarkable season in which he played a pivotal role in PSG’s historic campaign.

Under Luis Enrique, the French winger enjoyed the most prolific spell of his career, scoring 35 goals across all competitions, including 21 in Ligue 1 to finish as the league’s top scorer.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

His standout performances were central to PSG’s maiden UEFA Champions League title, highlighted by a dominant 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final.

The Paris club also completed a historic continental treble, becoming the first French side to win the Champions League, domestic league and main domestic cup in the same season, before going on to reach the Club World Cup final.

Dembele’s stellar year had already been recognised earlier when he won the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or, edging out Yamal, who finished second, while PSG midfielder Vitinha placed third.

The award made Dembele the first French player to claim the Ballon d’Or since Karim Benzema in 2022.

Lionel Messi was among those to publicly congratulate Ousmane Dembele following his Ballon d’Or success, further underlining the respect he commands among football’s elite.

READ: England Ashes dreams on life-support as Australia rip through batting

Ousmane Dembele bags FIFA’s men’s best player award

France and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) attacker Ousmane Dembele won the men’s FIFA Best award at a ceremony in Qatar on Tuesday, while Barcelona midfield maestro Aitana Bonmati collected the women’s prize.

Dembele, 28, won the Ballon d’Or in September, rewarding an exceptional season with PSG, which included the Ligue 1 club’s first Champions League title.

Dembele was the cornerstone of PSG’s historic treble: Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and the Champions League.

Besides trophies, the footballer, whose career was hampered by inconsistency and injuries, scored decisive goals and key assists and maintained a level of consistency in 2025.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“I wanted to thank my teammates. Hard work pays off, it’s been a fantastic year for me, both individually and collectively,” said Dembele after the ceremony, which took place on the eve of the Intercontinental Cup final between PSG and Flamengo, also being held in Qatar.

Bonmati, 27, was crowned women’s player of the year for the third time in a row, after also picking up her third consecutive Ballon d’Or in the autumn.

The personal awards come at the end of a year of ups and downs for the Spaniard, who lost both the Champions League and European Championship finals last season.

The winners were chosen by a vote of fans, media representatives, captains and national team coaches.

READ: Australia’s Green become IPL’s most expensive overseas player

Ousmane Dembele scores on return as PSG hammer Leverkusen

Ousmane Dembele scored on his return from injury as defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 7-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday, as both teams finished with 10 men.

Ballon d’Or winner Dembele scored PSG’s sixth just three minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute for his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in early September.

Desire Doue bagged a brace while Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha also hit the net at Leverkusen’s BayArena as the visitors laid down the gauntlet to their European rivals.

“We are a team that always wants to win everything. This season, we want to win everything again,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

“That will be difficult, but we have the confidence we gained last year. We want this title again.”

Aleix Garcia scored both of the hosts’ goals while PSG lost centre-back Illia Zabarnyi to a red card on 37 minutes, as he conceded a second spot-kick of the match.

Leverkusen also had captain Robert Andrich dismissed for crashing his elbow into Doue’s jaw a few minutes earlier.

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand told Amazon Prime that his side “lost it in seven minutes before halftime”.

“We were level, but we wanted too much,” he added. “We were too open and made too many mistakes in that seven-minute period.

“We met the best team in the world right now. They’re very strong.”

PSG have been injury-hit and inconsistent this season, but once both teams were reduced to 10 men, they dominated their hapless hosts.

PSG’s bid to go back-to-back on the European stage will face tougher tests than the rebuilding Leverkusen, who fielded six starters who only joined the club in the summer.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The French champions showcased their attacking riches alongside the steel needed to overcome setbacks borne out of last year’s breakthrough campaign.

PSG’s preparation for the game was boosted by the news that Dembele and captain Marquinhos were fit enough to travel to Germany.

The duo, crucial to PSG’s barnstorming treble last season, watched on from the bench as PSG took the lead after just seven minutes.

Mendes hit a cross over the Leverkusen defence for Pacho to head in at the far post.

Leverkusen were awarded a penalty for a Zabarnyi handball with 25 minutes gone, but Alejandro Grimaldo hit the post with his spot-kick.

The writing looked to be on the wall for Leverkusen when they were reduced to 10 men by Andrich’s needless foul on Doue on 33 minutes.

But they were then handed a lifeline shortly afterwards when Zabarnyi’s performance went from bad to nightmarish as he gave away a second penalty and saw red for clumsily bringing down Christian Kofane as the last man, with Garcia scoring from the spot.

Rather than tighten up, the red card galvanised the French side, who reacted by scoring three goals in eight minutes to stun the hosts.

Doue scored twice, either side of a Kvaratskhelia scorcher, to go into the break 4-1 up and cruising.

Mendes scored five minutes into the second half to help PSG pick up where they had left off.

While Garcia’s long-distance stunner on 54 minutes was a rare Leverkusen highlight, PSG had the last words.

Dembele cut the ball home from a tight angle, and Vitinha added even more gloss on the final score, rounding out an incredible European night for the defending champions.

READ: Liverpool ‘better team’ despite losing streak, says Frankfurt coach

Ousmane Dembele set for PSG return after six weeks out

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele is in line to make his return from injury for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, a source close to the club told AFP on Monday.

The news will come as a welcome boost for PSG coach Luis Enrique, whose side has been struggling with injuries this season.

Dembele, 28, has been out for six weeks with a hamstring problem he suffered on international duty with France in early September.

He had been recuperating at a specialist clinic in Qatar and returned to training last week.

He missed out on PSG’s entertaining 3-3 draw against Strasbourg on Friday but is part of the first team squad for Tuesday’s match in Germany, the source said.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

PSG published images of Dembele training normally on Saturday.

The reigning European and French champions welcomed back forwards Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was a substitute, against Strasbourg.

They are, however, still missing midfield duo Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, although some media have reported that captain Marquinhos has travelled to Germany with the squad.

“I don’t know when the injured players will return,” Luis Enrique had said on Thursday, adding that the club did not want to “take risks with the players’ health”.

They have made a strong start to their Champions League defence, beating Atalanta and Barcelona in their opening two matches, while Leverkusen drew with FC Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven.

READ: Harry Brook, Phil Salt star as England hammer New Zealand

PSG star Ousmane Dembele wins 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or

France forward Ousmane Dembele won the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), which secured the Champions League title last season.

Dembele, 28, pipped Barcelona and Spain teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to the prize at a ceremony in Paris and succeeds Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, who won the trophy in 2024.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona winger, who was part of the France team that won the World Cup in 2018, scored 35 goals in all competitions as PSG won a French league and cup double as well as the Champions League for the first time in their history.

“I really don’t have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG,” said an emotional Dembele, who said his club coach Luis Enrique had been “like a father”.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“It is an individual trophy, but it was really the collective that won it,” added Dembele, who was one of nine members of the triumphant PSG team from last season nominated for the prize.

“The Ballon d’Or has not really been an objective for me in my career, but I worked hard for the team to win the Champions League.”

The 18-year-old Yamal, who was a teammate of Dembele’s at Barcelona when he first broke through in 2023, earlier won the Kopa Trophy for the best player aged under 21 – the second year running he has taken that award.

READ: Mohsin Naqvi urges Pakistan to play fearless cricket at Women’s World Cup

France coach downplays rift with PSG over Dembele, Doue injuries

France coach Didier Deschamps calmed suggestions of a rift between the national team and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after the European champions were left fuming after Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue picked up injuries on international duty.

Dembele, PSG’s leading scorer last season and one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, has been ruled out for between six and eight weeks after coming off hurt in France’s 2-0 win over Ukraine in World Cup qualifying on Friday.

Doue was injured in the same game and is expected to be sidelined for a month, dealing a major blow to PSG as they prepare to begin their defence of the Champions League title.

The club wrote to the French Football Federation (FFF) on Sunday, calling for a “more transparent and collaborative coordination protocol to be put in place between clubs and national teams”.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

PSG, whose squad had a significantly shortened close-season break after going all the way to the final of the Club World Cup in July, said they had provided the FFF with “concrete” medical information about how much workload their players could withstand.

They said that their recommendations were ignored.

Deschamps insisted that the French team’s medical staff “did things in a very professional and progressive way, as we do with all the players, taking into account how each player feels”.

“Even if they are eager to play, that feeling is always a very important element for us,” added the French coach, who was speaking before Les Bleus host Iceland at PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium on Tuesday.

“PSG are not our adversary, and never have been. The clubs never have been, even if our interests go in different directions, and that is normal.

“I have been on the other side of the barrier. Our only opponent is Iceland,” Deschamps said, insisting that there are always exchanges between his team and the clubs.

He used the examples of Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki and Arsenal defender William Saliba, who picked up injuries and were told they would not need to come to the French team’s training base for further assessment despite having being called up.

“I am not going to make them come when we are perfectly aware it’s not possible, because our doctor was sent the images from their scans,” said the coach.

READ: ‘Nawaz is a real match-winner’: Salman Ali Agha echoes Babar Azam’s statement

PSG axe Dembele for Arsenal clash over disciplinary reasons

Ousmane Dembele was axed from Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Arsenal because he did not “comply with or respect the expectations of the team”, coach Luis Enrique said.

It follows reports in French media that the 27-year-old winger had a heated exchange with Luis Enrique following PSG’s 3-1 win against Rennes on Friday, in which Dembele was substituted late on.

Dembele has been one of the team’s stand-out players so far this season and featured in PSG’s Champions League win against Girona earlier this month.

But Luis Enrique, speaking at the Emirates in London on Monday, said the France international had not travelled with the squad from Paris.

“If someone doesn’t comply or respect the expectations of the team, it means they are not prepared to play,” he said.

“The match tomorrow is very important and I want all my players to be ready, so as a consequence I have left him (Dembele) out. I want the best for my team and that is my job.”

The former Spain manager said he was “100 percent” sure of his decision.

“It doesn’t mean this is irreversible, but I took the best decision for the team and that is why I signed here, to create a team that has a strong identity and has a lot of character,” he added.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Asked to explain the altercation with Ousmane Dembele, Luis Enrique replied: “I am very honest and I will be honest, but I am not going to create a soap opera out of this.

“There are no problems between us. That is completely false. This is simply about the responsibilities of the player.”

Without the in-form Ousmane Dembele, who has four goals and as many assists in six league games this season, PSG will rely more heavily on Bradley Barcola.

Barcola is the leading scorer in the French top flight this season with six goals, two of which came in the victory over Rennes.

Luis Enrique praised Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, hailing his former Barcelona team-mate as one of the best managers in world football.

“He is one of the best coaches on the market at the moment,” he said. “He changed Arsenal’s fortunes from a somewhat winless streak to one of the best teams in the world that is competing for titles.

“I would go as far as to say they are the best team in Europe playing without the ball. He is a great coach and a great person.”

READ: Bangladesh thrash Pakistan in Women’s T20 World Cup warm-up match

PSG sideline Kylian Mbappe for season-opener as Dembele arrives

French superstar Kylian Mbappe has been left out of Paris Saint-Germain’s season opener on Saturday deepening the stand-off between the France captain and the Ligue 1 champions.

As Mbappe’s contract dispute with the Qatari-backed club rumbles on PSG announced a new signing – Ousmane Dembele on a five-year deal from Barcelona.

He is the ninth summer arrival at a side which has lost Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, and may soon be facing up to life without Mbappe.

In an affair that has dominated transfer market headlines, Kylian Mbappe has refused to sign an extension to his PSG deal, meaning he can leave for free next year, with Real Madrid long seen as his preferred destination.

PSG want to sell him now and bring in a significant transfer fee for a player who cost 180 million euros ($198m) from Monaco in 2017.

“The position is very clear. If Kylian wants to stay, he must sign a new contract. We can’t let the best player in the world today leave for free. It’s impossible,” PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi said last month.

Kylian Mbappe has not been allowed train with the first team and played only one of PSG’s five warm-up games and was not invited to the pre-season tour in Japan and South Korea.

Despite his sidelining Mbappe was one of the first to welcome Dembele to the Parc des Princes.

“Welcome home my brother, so happy to see you here, the adventure begins,” Mbappe posted on social media to greet Dembele with whom he won the World Cup in 2018.

26-year-old Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017 from Borussia Dortmund and extended his contract last year until 2024.

PSG took advantage of the player’s 50 million euros ($54 million) release clause to sign the former Rennes forward.

“I’m very happy to join Paris Saint-Germain and can’t wait to play in my new colours,” Dembele said in a PSG statement.

“I hope to continue to grow here and make all who love the club proud.”

Dembele, who has 37 caps for France and scored four goals, joins three other World Cup winners at PSG — Mbappe, Presnel Kimpembe and Lucas Hernandez.

He is the club’s ninth summer signing after defenders Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez, midfielders Manuel Ugarte and Cher Ndour, forwards Marco Asensio, Lee Kang-in and Goncalo Ramos and goalkeeper Arnau Tenas.

At Barcelona, despite early problems adjusting to the Catalan side and injuries, Ousmane Dembele scored 40 goals in 185 matches, winning three league titles in 2018, 2019 and 2023 and two Spanish Cups 2018 and 2021.

PSG are bolstering their attacking options with the futures of Mbappe and also Neymar uncertain.

“The passion and determination shown by Ousmane when he joined PSG is fantastic and is the attitude required for all our players,” said Khelaifi.

“We are proud to have another French World Cup winner in Paris Saint-Germain at the moment to enter a new great era for our club.”

New PSG coach Luis Enrique also left out Brazilian Neymar from Saturday evening’s game with the forward suffering a “viral syndrome”.

The club are reported to be open to selling the former Barcelona star and Italian midfielder Marco Verratti, who has also not been called up against Lorient.

Enrique is expected to start three newcomers in attack – Lee, Portuguese Ramos and Spaniard Asensio.

READ: Australia beat France in penalty thriller to reach Women’s World Cup semi-finals

Dembele gives Barcelona lead in LaLiga after tense win over Atletico

MADRID: Ousmane Dembele scored the winner to take Barcelona three points clear at the top of LaLiga after defeating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in a tense game on Sunday.

Xavi Hernandez’s side went out to make a statement victory at Metropolitano following reigning champions Real Madrid’s shock 2-1 defeat against Villareal on Saturday.

The visitors started on high as Dembele earned the lead the in the 22nd minute with a side-foot finish off Gavi’s assist.

Atletico built up the pressure from then onwards but could not find an equalizer till the last as Antoine Griezmann’s effort was cleared off the line by Ronald Araujo in the added time.

The match ended with an ill-tempered affair between Ferran Torres and Stefan Savic with both getting red cards for the scuffle.

Barcelona solidified its position at the top with 41 points, three points ahead of second-placed Madrid after last night’s win.

Earlier David Silva produced a stellar to aid third-place Real Sociedad thump Almeria 2-0, while Real Betis climbed to fourth following a thrilling 2-1 win at Rayo Vallecano.

Meanwhile, beleaguered Sevilla claimed their first league win since October 15, lifting them out of the relegation zone with a late 2-1 victory over Getafe at home.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: Bracewell replaces injured Henry in New Zealand squad for Pakistan ODIs

Dembele stars as Barcelona cruise past Athletic Club in LaLiga

BARCELONA: Ousmane Dembele shone with an opener and three assists as Barcelona outclassed Athletic Club 4-0 in a home game on Sunday to stay three points behind table leaders Real Madrid in LaLiga.

Barcelona retains the second position with 28 points while Madrid tops the standing with 31 points after they beat Sevilla 3-1 on Saturday.

Barcelona dominated the visiting side right from the start as they netted the ball thrice in 10 minutes in the first half, starting with Dembele’s header in the 12th minute after Lewandoski’s assist.

Dembele then went on to assist Sergi Roberto who doubled the lead in the 18th minute before France forward put a brilliant cross to Lewandowski who made a powerful shot to make it 3-0 four minutes later. Dembele set up a late fourth as Ferran Torres also joined the action.

Meanwhile, in another matchday 11 fixture on Sunday, Villareal edged past Almeria 2-1 thanks to a late strike by Nicolas Jackson.

Antonio Griezmann, however, scored a brace to put Atletico Madrid 2-1 up against home side Real Betis.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: T20 WC: Pakistan team departs for Perth ahead of Zimbabwe clash