Real Madrid players were absent from the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony after Vinicius missed out on the award last year. Therefore, Mbappe was not present at the Chatelet Theater in Paris on the evening of 22/9.
However, the 26-year-old striker still followed the event and immediately congratulated Dembele after his teammate gave a tearful acceptance speech. "Ousmane Dembele. The feels, my brother! You deserve it 1000 times", Mbappe wrote on his Instagram Story to over 126 million followers.
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Kylian Mbappe posts a congratulatory message to Ousmane Dembele for winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or. (Source not provided) |
Kylian Mbappe posts a congratulatory message to Ousmane Dembele for winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or. (Source not provided)
Mbappe's short but meaningful message quickly spread, demonstrating the bond and mutual respect between the two French football stars.
Mbappe had previously publicly supported Dembele for the 2025 Ballon d'Or. He was also nominated among the 30 candidates for the men's Ballon d'Or and finished 7th.
During the 2024-2025 season, Mbappe scored 43 goals in all competitions, including 31 goals to win the La Liga Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe. However, the 2018 World Cup winner missed out on the Ballon d'Or, as Real Madrid only won the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
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Ousmane Dembele is overcome with emotion as he accepts the Ballon d'Or during the gala at the Chatelet Theater, Paris, France on the evening of 22/9/2025. AP |
Ousmane Dembele is overcome with emotion as he accepts the Ballon d'Or during the gala at the Chatelet Theater, Paris, France on the evening of 22/9/2025. AP
Dembele received the 2025 Ballon d'Or after a breakout season. The French forward scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists in 53 matches, helping PSG win the Champions League, Ligue 1, French League Cup, and French Cup.
Dembele became the sixth French player in history to win the Ballon d'Or, following Michel Platini, Raymond Kopa, Zinedine Zidane, Jean-Pierre Papin, and Karim Benzema. This achievement also makes France the country with the most different individual winners of the award.
This is also the eighth time French football has claimed the Ballon d'Or, tying the record with Argentina. Before Dembele, Platini won the award three times, while Kopa, Zidane, Papin, and Benzema each won it once.
Compiled by Hong Duy
