Paris Saint-Germain’s France international Ousmane Dembele became the second French footballer after Karim Benzema to have won the Ballon d’Or on Monday in Paris.
After receiving the award, the 28-year-old striker admitted that he could not control his tears while speaking to his family members after being named the world’s best footballer.
“I didn’t want to cry, but as soon as I started talking about my family, about the people who have been there for me, it came up and I couldn’t hold it back,” Dembele told Reuters after beating Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal to the prize.
“It was never a personal objective. On an individual level, having a trophy like this is magnificent. But when it happens, of course, you’re happy, you’re delighted,” he added.
Asked whether the accolade was the “people’s Ballon d’Or”, a description once used by Benzema, Dembele replied, “Benzema is the people’s Ballon d’Or, the first one, and I am the second.”
Dembele, who has an amazing record of scoring 35 goals in 53 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain so far, insisted the award also belonged to his club. “Yes, of course, it’s for the team. For all the people who are fans of me, all the Parisian supporters, the whole club, the staff, and the players,” he said.
The striker revealed that he would be returning to the field soon. He is in the process of recovering from an injury that has sidelined him in recent weeks.
