Ousmane Dembélé was in tears as he thanked his family during his Ballon d'Or acceptance speech
After receiving the award from fellow Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldhino, Dembele said: "I am a little stressed to be honest. I have received this award from one of the biggest legends of all time, I can't believe this.
The French forward went on to thank the club that believed in him: “I want to thank PSG, who came for me in 2023, the president, the staff, and the club, which is like a wonderful family. I also want to thank all the PSG staff, Luis Enrique, my father, and above all, my teammates—this has been a fantastic team.”
Dembélé emphasized the collective effort behind the achievement: “We won practically everything this year, and we were able to raise the level to achieve these team trophies. This individual award, I see it as something we all share together.”
He also remembered the club that launched his career to the elite: “I want to thank all my teams, especially FC Barcelona, where I first achieved my dreams.”
"I played with Lionel Messi, I want to thank him too, I learned so much from him. To have been able to play with Lionel Messi.. I have learned so much from him.
"I want to thank Deschamps. Let's hope we can win the World Cup too!
"I want to thank my hometown Eure. Every time I get the chance I go back. The people in my neighbourhood helped me to this moment."
"To my mother, I want to thank you. You have always been there for me, mama.
"To my family, we have experienced so much together. We have been through it all. We will always be together."