Ousmane Dembele of PSG expresses his desire to win the Ballon d’Or and commends the ‘exceptional’ young talent Lamine Yamal from Barcelona.

Flick: What ‘genius’ Yamal is doing at 17 years old is unbelievable

Ousmane Dembele has heaped praise on the “exceptional” Lamine Yamal, expressing his own aspirations to win the Ballon d’Or “one day”. The Paris Saint-Germain star has enjoyed a remarkable season, one that seemed unimaginable just seven months ago.

The 28-year-old, whose career had been marred by injuries and a disappointing stint at Barcelona, has turned his fortunes around this term. He dazzled on the pitch, claiming both the Champions League’s player of the season award and the Ligue 1 Golden Boot. After only managing to score double figures once in a league campaign during his teenage years at Rennes, Dembele has now netted an impressive 33 goals and provided 13 assists, helping PSG secure a treble.

“To begin with, I hope to be among the 30 nominees,” Dembele told France Football regarding his own chances of winning the Ballon d’Or. “I have had difficult years with injuries and poor performances as well. This season I think I have been consistent, so we will see what happens.” He added, “It would already be exceptional to have my name on the list. And being one of the favourites is already a great victory, although I hope to win it someday.”

However, Dembele faces stiff competition for the prestigious award, notably from the young prodigy Yamal. After playing a crucial role in Spain’s European Championship triumph last summer, the teenager has continued to impress with Barcelona this season. Just a month shy of his 18th birthday, Yamal was instrumental in Barcelona’s domestic treble and shone on the European stage, helping the Catalan club reach the Champions League semi-finals.

“They were already talking about him from a very young age in Barcelona,” Dembele remarked about Yamal. “When he arrived at the professional team, we understood that he was exceptional and took on another dimension. In training, he dribbled, assisted, scored.” He further noted, “I like to dribble, but I am also someone who helps the team a lot, who wants to score goals and assist. Then, everyone thinks what they want and votes for what they want. If you like Ousmane Dembélé, great; if not, life goes on. We’ll see.”

In a twist, Barcelona legend Gerard Pique has expressed his preference for Yamal to win the Ballon d’Or over Dembele. When asked to choose between the two, Pique opted for the teenage sensation, citing Yamal’s connection to Barcelona and his involvement in the Kings League, a seven-a-side football format created by the former defender.

“I had the opportunity to share a dressing room with Ousmane and Lamine Yamal,” Pique stated, as reported by Mundo Deportivo. “They’re both incredible people. I love them both very much. I would prefer Lamine Yamal to win because he’s at Barcelona and also involved in the King’s League. He has a team, so I would like him to win. But I also really like Ousmane, and if he wins, I’ll be happy for him.”