Dembélé is preparing for the most expensive Ballon d'Or in history

The PSG player could become the first French player to win this award since Benzema. Find out with Betfair why it would be the most expensive Ballon d'Or in football history.

All roads lead to Paris . The Théâtre du Châtelet is located in this city , where the Ballon d'Or will be awarded next Monday, September 22 .

This valuable award recognizes the best player of the 2024/25 season , a distinction for which Ousmane Dembélé is the favorite.

The numbers support the former FC Barcelona player , who this season has been the most outstanding player for the best team in Europe, PSG .

Luis Enrique's team will be playing this Sunday to be crowned world champion against Chelsea , a title that would bring the Mosquito much closer to being the most expensive Ballon d'Or in history.

The first Ballon d'Or worth over 100 million

It's clear that the transfer market has experienced significant inflation over the last decade. This has been reflected in the average value of players; business has begun to generate more revenue, and more money has been spent.

In fact, the 15 most expensive transfers in football history have all taken place in the last 10 years. This inflation peaked when PSG broke the bank by depositing Neymar's €222 million release clause in 2017.

This move led to the arrival of Ousmane Dembélé at Barça. The Frenchman cost a total of 135 million euros that same summer, according to Transfermarkt , a figure that puts him in 4th place on this list.

El Mosquito didn't live up to expectations in Barcelona, but he's finally proven his worth in Paris. This year, he could become the first player to win a Ballon d'Or after costing more than 100 million euros.

This would give him the honor of being the most expensive winner in the market in history. He would overtake Cristiano Ronaldo, who cost Real Madrid a total of 94 million in 2009.

This move should be taken into account, not the €117 million transfer fee he cost Juventus in 2018 , as he has never won a Ballon d'Or since that amount was paid for his signing.

These are the most expensive transfers in history (Transfermarkt):

Neymar: 222 million (2017)

Kylian Mbappé: 180 million (2018)

Philippe Coutinho: 135 million (2017)

OUSMANE DEMBÉLÉ: 135 million (2017)

João Félix: 127.2 million (2019)

Dembélé's statistics for the 24/25 season

Without a doubt, the French player has unleashed the highest-scoring form of his career under Luis Enrique.

Ousmane Dembélé has become a key player in the European champion 's scheme . Despite not scoring in the final, the Mosquito has scored a total of eight goals in the top continental competition.

In all competitions, the former Barça player has registered a total of 35 goals and 16 assists in 52 matches . These numbers give him an average of almost one goal involvement per game.

He has therefore been the most outstanding player in terms of numbers for the best team in the world. With the treble of Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Champions League under their belts, the Parisians are aiming for their fourth title of the season: the Club World Cup.

To do so, they must beat Chelsea in next Sunday's final. If they do, the French side will keep their dream of winning seven titles in a year intact and move Dembélé ever closer to the Ballon d'Or.

A hat-trick away from the Ballon d'Or?

Due to physical problems, Ousmane Dembélé was unable to participate in his team's opening matches at the Club World Cup. In fact, he was not present for the brilliant 4-0 win over Atlético Madrid.

However, the Frenchman has quickly picked up the pace and has already scored in the quarterfinals and semifinals . Therefore, it's not unreasonable to think he could find the net again in the final and fight until the very end to be the tournament's top scorer.

Should Dembélé achieve this individual success, the Ballon d'Or would be practically a foregone conclusion.

The PSG player has a total of two goals , so he will need to score a brace in the final to equal the competition's top scorers, who have four.

Thus, only a hat trick would allow him to win this award alone. Will he be able to achieve it and get close to the Ballon d'Or?