“In the Champions League, I scored in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final. If a defender can achieve all that, he deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, even ahead of a striker,” Achraf Hakimi told Canal Plus France — a statement that unintentionally ignited tensions inside the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room.
According to L’Equipe, PSG’s communications department, aware of the delicate egos within the squad, tried to block the network from publishing that segment of the interview. The request was denied, and the full material went public — setting off exactly what the club feared.
Internally, a large portion of PSG’s players, along with manager Luis Enrique and his coaching staff, believe Ousmane Dembélé should take home the award to be presented on September 22 at the Théâtre du Châtelet. The French winger was a key figure in PSG’s historic season, helping them win Ligue 1, the Trophée des Champions, the Coupe de France, and most importantly, the UEFA Champions League.
Hakimi’s public push for himself was seen by some as overlooking Dembélé’s decisive role in the team’s quadruple-winning campaign — adding to the debate over whether a defender can overshadow an attacker in soccer’s most prestigious individual award.
Donnarumma joins the conversation
The Ballon d’Or talk didn’t stop there. Gianluigi Donnarumma subtly entered the fray with a post on social media, reminding PSG and his recently signed replacement Lucas Chevalier that he remains the only goalkeeper truly worthy of the prize.
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The Italian shot-stopper played a pivotal role in PSG’s Champions League triumph, and his camp wasted no time defending his candidacy.
Agent’s defense of Donnarumma
Donnarumma’s agent, Vincenzo Raiola, openly backed his client in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Dembélé has achieved a lot with his goals, but without Gianluigi’s saves against Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal, PSG would never have won the Champions League.”
As September’s gala approaches, PSG finds itself in an unusual position: celebrating a historic season while also navigating internal rivalries over who deserves soccer’s ultimate individual honor. Whether it’s Dembélé, Hakimi, or Donnarumma, one thing is certain — Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory has created more than one contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
