"I was never the chosen one": Is Ousmane Dembele taking a dig at his pal Kylian Mbappe over the Ballon d'Or?

After Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 win in Brest, Ousmane Dembele spoke about the Ballon d'Or – and appeared to be responding to a remark by Kylian Mbappe.

When expert and former striker Guillaume Hoarau pointed out that Dembele had kept a lower profile than Mbappe in public comments about the award race, the winger responded in no uncertain terms.

"I've always been like that: at the back of the classroom, worked hard," Dembele explained after the away win and added on the Ballon d'Or: "Since the beginning of my career, I haven't said a word about it. I was never the chosen one. I worked incredibly hard. Last year I was rewarded after a fantastic season with Paris Saint-Germain. This year, we'll see, completely relaxed and without pressure."

The wording from the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner may not be accidental. "The chosen one" in particular comes with some backstory.

Only recently, the French sports newspaper L'Equipe published an extensive interview with Mbappe. In it, the Real Madrid forward openly claimed favourite status for the coveted trophy and contrasted the careers of the two national team team-mates.

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"He was always seen as a talented player," Mbappe said about his long-time companion. "I was always seen as the chosen one. I was right at the top from the start. He had a different path, injuries, but he made up for that well."

That makes Dembele's latest line look like a pointed response to the Real star's remarks. The two players have remained on friendly terms since their time together with the French national team and at PSG.

London will host the Ballon d'Or gala on 26 October. Since 2022, the award has no longer gone to the best player over a calendar year, but over a season.