Ousmane Dembélé helps France match Lionel Messi’s Argentina historic record after 2025 Ballon d’Or win

After being crowned as the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, Ousmane Dembélé has helped France match a historic record only held by Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

Ousmane Dembélé has been crowned the winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or after an outstanding 2024-25 season with Paris Saint-Germain, a campaign highlighted by lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy. With the forward receiving the prestigious accolade, France has now matched a historic record previously held only by Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

The Ballon d’Or, created in 1956 by France Football, is awarded to the best soccer player in the world. Since then, dozens of players from various nations have stepped onto the stage to lift the golden trophy. This year, it was the turn of another French star, and with Dembélé’s win, France has equaled a feat that had belonged exclusively to Argentina.

Dembélé’s crowning marks the eighth time a French player has secured the Ballon d’Or. Argentina had stood alone at the top of the list, largely thanks to Messi, who claimed the award a record eight times between 2009 and 2023. Now, France has joined them at the summit.

France’s history with the award spans several generations, with past winners including Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991), Zinedine Zidane (1998), and Karim Benzema (2022). In the 70th edition of the award, Dembélé became the sixth Frenchman to win it, delivering France its eighth Ballon d’Or.

With Argentina and France now level at eight apiece, three nations sit just behind with seven Ballon d’Or wins each: Germany, led by Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (two each); the Netherlands, with Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten at the forefront (three each); and Portugal, almost entirely thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s five trophies.

Dembélé pays tribute to Messi in winning speech

Dembélé has never hidden his admiration for Lionel Messi, both during their time together at FC Barcelona and since going their separate ways. The pair recently crossed paths again at the FIFA Club World Cup, and the French forward once more called Messi the greatest of all time, highlighting the strong bond between the two stars.

In his acceptance speech, Dembélé reflected on the clubs and mentors who shaped him as both a player and a person, with Messi earning special mention. “I want to thank FC Barcelona, the club of my dreams. I played with Lionel Messi, I want to thank him too, I learned so much from him,” Dembele said.