Luis Enrique brutally claims Ousmane Dembele's Ballon d'Or 'means nothing' as PSG boss delivers update on injured forward ahead of Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen

Dembele is back in the PSG squad for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen after injury and will be hoping to make his first appearance for the club since August. During that time, Dembele has beaten off competition from Lamine Yamal to be named the best male player in the world and handed the Ballon d'Or. The French star claimed the gong after an incredible year which saw him him score 35 goals and bag 14 assists in all competitions as PSG won won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the French Super Cup and the Champions League.

As Luis Enrique prepares to welcome Dembele back to action, he has warned his star forward that it's time to forget about the Ballon d'Or already. “You (the media) see things in a different way. He isn’t the Ballon d’Or; he is Ousmane Dembélé. The person he is and the energy that he brings are more important to the team,” he told Canal Plus. "The Ballon d’Or is over […] you value that, but it means nothing. For us, the important thing is to get back Marquinhos, Désiré Doué, and Ousmane! I am happier with his energy, with how he is as a person, than the Ballon d’Or; the Ballon d’Or is over.”

Luis Enrique also spoke about the test facing his team when they take on Leverkusen in Germany. 

"It's difficult to give Leverkusen credit for signing 20 players and a new coach. They score goals and they can defend very deep, they know how to put pressure on. They can do anything and we'll have to manage it properly. Every match presents different situations, we'll see after training what condition our players are in," he told a pre-match press conference.

"We've brought in a lot of young players who have shown they have quality. This start to the season has been different and very difficult because we've overcome difficulties we shouldn't have had to overcome. We've shown resilience. Tomorrow is a very important match because the sooner we take points, the better. We don't want to think about it, but we want to try to win this match."

Meanwhile, Leverkusen boss Kasper Hjulmand says his team will be facing the best in the world when they come up against PSG.

"PSG are perhaps the best team in the world. They have won five trophies in this calendar year. We have a lot of respect and it will be a difficult task. But we're also looking forward to it, because Champions League matches are always great. We're at home and are determined to show our qualities. We'll give everything to win," he said.

PSG have won both of their first two Champions League games so far and will be aiming to stay perfect against a Leverkusen side yet to win in the competition in 2025-26. Luis Enrique's side then head home to take on Brest in Ligue 1 and will want to return to winning ways after drawing with Strasbourg last time out and being knocked off the top of the table by Marseille.