Ousmane Dembele has just opened up on how Lionel Messi impacted massively on his growth in their years together at Barcelona. During a revealing interview with Four Four Two, the French forward told that he got a first row tutorial having his locker placed next to that of Messi. Messi was said to have urged Dembele has to take his career seriously and it was everything the winger learned about positioning himself as well as intelligence and disappearing on the pitch. ‘He was well positioned, he knew what to do intuitively, too,’ Dembele commented.
Ousmane Dembele in PSG and Ballon d’Or nomination
Five years later in 2025, Dembele is having a revitalized career at Paris Saint Germain. Dembele netted 35 times and received personal honors that included Ligue 1 Player of The Year and Champions League Player of the Season. His statistics 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances have skyrocketed his name to real Ballon d’Or contention at the start of the 2025 season. To Dembele, winning the award is the holy grail of the sport and over the course of the season the coaching staff kept telling him the phrase the Ballon d’Or very lightly and encouragingly as a way of affirmation. His form and pace are going his way and he is almost on the verge of winning footballs reputed individual award.
Today is the end of the #ballondor voting
I spoke to the main favourite Ousmane Dembélé for @FourFourTwo with the intention of knowing more about the French international. He is still a bit of a mystery, isn’t he?
He is a bit less now ☺️
Pre-order your copy ⤵️… pic.twitter.com/6O8LXD5Etk
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 25, 2025
Luis Enrique, the man who changed Ousmane Dembele
Dembele’s success as a star in PSG is the result not only of his maturity as a football player but also of his mentorship as well as the end result of mastering his game in the injury decimated Barcelona. As he aims at winning the Ballon d’Or award he is, through a combination of early education, belief in a tactical approach by his manager, Enrique, and self drive making him one of the most intriguing tales in world football this season.
