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Paris Saint-Germain star winger Ousmane Dembele has said that Lionel Messi was the first person to congratulate him on lifting the Ballon d'Or this year. The 28-year-old winger became the latest winner of the iconic individual award after pipping Lamine Yamal to win it earlier this week.
Dembele spoke with L'Equipe after his victory in Paris, saying that he has received congratulations from various Barcelona players this week. He revealed that Messi's message was the first to come in, congratulating him on his success.
“Messi congratulated me first, he sent me a message directly. Xavi and Luis Suárez also sent me their congratulations. They were all very happy for me”, he said via @ReshadFCB.
Ousmane Dembele guided PSG to lift the treble in the season of 2024-25, scoring 33 goals and giving 13 assists in 49 games across all competitions. The French player followed Lionel Messi's path in winning the Ballon d'Or and paid homage to the Argentine during his acceptance speech.
Messi and Dembele played together at Barcelona between 2017 and 2021, with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner taking the French player under his wing. Another former teammate, Luis Suarez, as well as ex-Barcelona coach Xavi, also sent their wishes to the Frenchman after his success.
Dembele was a straight winner of the award this year, getting 1,380 points to 1,059 points for Lamine Yamal, who finished in second place. The PSG star also got 73 first-place votes from a total of 100 journalists who voted for the award, signalling a strong win for him.
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