Ousmane Dembélé Responds to Ballon d'Or Criticism: 'It Makes Me Laugh'

Ousmane Dembélé knew the Ballon d'Or would change his life. He just didn't expect it to turn him into a lightning rod quite this fast.

Since lifting football’s most coveted individual prize in 2025, the France and Paris Saint-Germain winger has found himself under a harsher glare than ever. Every touch, every decision, every off night is now dissected. He insists he is unmoved.

"I don't care about being criticised, it's part of the game," he told RMC, speaking as part of an interview with "France Football". "You will always be criticised in football, and it increases when you are the holder of the Ballon d'Or."

He knows exactly what comes with that golden trophy: scrutiny. And he seems to relish it.

"I have won the biggest individual award, so I am now under the microscope more," he said. "This makes me laugh, you are constantly watched, but it doesn't bother me."

Ballon d'Or weight, Champions League edge

The numbers behind his season are hard to ignore. Across all competitions in 2025-2026, Dembélé played 40 matches for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 20 goals and supplying 11 assists. Productive, yes, but he argues the award has raised the bar every time he walks onto the pitch.

"You have to be strong all the time," he explained. "You have to put in a good performance in every match, otherwise everyone will start talking about you and criticising you. This is funny, but it doesn't change anything, the criticism will always be there."

The pressure clearly sharpened his edge in Europe. By his own assessment, he became more decisive than last season, especially in the Champions League. From the quarter-final second leg onwards, he scored in every game he played.

"I was clearly better in the decisive moments, and that is important," he said. "Isn't that the number one criterion?"

Early in the campaign, injuries forced PSG’s staff to handle him carefully, managing his minutes and keeping him fresh for the business end of the season. The payoff came in those knockout ties, where he delivered when it mattered most.

No obsession with keeping the crown

Despite his status as the current holder, Dembélé is not among the leading favourites to retain the Ballon d'Or. The prospect of losing it does not trouble him in the slightest.

"This is football," he said. "The Ballon d'Or was never an obsession for me. It was a goal or a dream, yes, but it was never an obsession."

His stance is disarmingly simple.

"I hope the best player wins," he added.

Kvaratskhelia gets his vote, not Dembélé

When asked who he would choose for the next Ballon d'Or, Dembélé did not hesitate. He went straight for a teammate.

His pick is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian forward who shares the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room with him. Alongside Kvaratskhelia, he named England captain Harry Kane and his former PSG colleague Kylian Mbappé to complete his personal top three.

Would he ever put himself on that list?

The answer came without a pause. "No, if I were the one choosing, I would not put myself on the list and I would not vote for myself."

Mbappé has already made it clear he sees it differently, previously stating that if the choice were his, he would vote for himself in the Ballon d'Or race.

Two superstars, two mindsets. One laughs off the noise, the other embraces his own candidacy. The next Ballon d'Or battle will reveal which approach shapes the new era.