Ousmane Dembele 'clearly deserves' to win Ballon d'Or ahead of Lamine Yamal as France boss Didier Deschamps pledges support in PSG star's bid to win top prize

The France boss has become the latest individual to back Dembele to lift this year's Ballon d'Or ahead of Lamine Yamal, although he did acknowledge that failure to win either the Nations League or the Club World Cup later this month could affect the Paris Saint-Germain superstar's chances.

Dembele has been in rip-roaring form in 2025, thanks to a smart tweak made by his PSG head coach Luis Enrique. After Les Parisiens struggled in the early stages of the Champions League campaign, the ex-Barcelona and Spain boss opted to field Dembele in a false nine role. The move has paid off handsomely as Dembele ended the season with 33 goals and 15 assists, in addition to being named the Champions League Player of the Season. The tweak also allowed PSG to complete an unprecedented quadruple as they finally won their maiden European title.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of France's Nations League semi-final against Spain, Deschamps said: "Of course I support Dembele, and of course the Nations League or the Club World Cup can influence that. Of course, if you ask a Spaniard, they won't tell you the same thing. It's clear that Dembele is the one who deserves [the Ballon d'Or]."

The 28-year-old will be expected to carry his rich vein of form into national colours, as Les Bleus will lock horns with Spain on Thursday. He will then travel to the United States with PSG for the revamped Club World Cup, which kicks off on June 14.