As someone who has been glued to the Ballon d’Or circus for years, I have to admit Ousmane Dembele lifting the 2025 Golden Ball felt like one of those football scripts you simply could not make up. Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi, an eight-time winner, was quick to salute his former Barcelona teammate after the French winger edged out Lamine Yamal to take the crown.

messi-hails-dembeles-glow-up-after-historic-2025-ballon-dor-win-image-0

The Argentine icon left a message under Dembele’s Instagram post showing the 28-year-old holding the trophy on that famous night in Paris. His comment was short, sweet and straight from the heart: “Grande Ous. Congratulations, I am so happy for you. You deserve it.”

In my book, that kind of public backing from Messi is worth its weight in gold. It also reminded the football world just how far Dembele has come since his stop-start spell in Catalonia.

A quiet nod from the GOAT

Messi is not exactly known for flooding social media with hot takes, so when he pops up in the comments it tends to turn heads. The fact that he chose to celebrate Dembele with such warmth tells you everything about the bond they built at Barcelona.

Let’s be real: during Dembele’s six years at the Camp Nou, plenty of fans and pundits wrote him off as a gifted but frustrating talent. Injuries and inconsistency meant the writing was on the wall long before his exit. Yet Messi never publicly threw him under the bus, and in 2025 the respect between the two remains obvious.

The numbers behind the golden night

Dembele did not win the Ballon d’Or by accident. He was arguably the heartbeat of Paris Saint-Germain’s history-making campaign.

  • 🏆 Trophies last season: UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France

  • ⚽ Goals: 35 in 53 appearances in all competitions

  • 🇫🇷 Historic feat: Became the sixth Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or

The previous French winners were Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema. That is some elite company, and Dembele succeeded Manchester City’s Rodri as the holder of the award.

messi-hails-dembeles-glow-up-after-historic-2025-ballon-dor-win-image-1

From Barcelona frustration to Paris redemption

Dembele joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for a reported £135.5 million, and for a long stretch it looked like the club had backed the wrong horse. He shared the pitch with Messi in 95 matches, won La Liga twice in 2018 and 2019, and lifted the Copa del Rey in 2018. But he never consistently hit the heights many expected.

The change came after his 2023 return to France with PSG. Under Luis Enrique, the Frenchman went from mercurial winger to genuine talisman. Kylian Mbappe’s departure to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 only accelerated the transformation, as Dembele took on a more central role and started running games rather than just decorating them.

To date, he has registered 43 goals and 32 assists in 99 appearances for PSG. Those are elite production numbers by any yardstick.

A heartfelt thank you

During his Ballon d’Or acceptance speech, Dembele made a point of thanking Messi personally. He said he “learned so much from him” during their four seasons together at Barcelona. Honestly, hearing that felt like a passing of the torch moment, even though Messi’s legacy is already set in stone.

A bittersweet footnote

The only sour note for Dembele is that he is currently nursing an injury and was absent as PSG lost 1-0 to Marseille in a rescheduled Ligue 1 clash. Still, no one can take the shine off his golden year. From “nearly man” to Ballon d’Or winner, Dembele’s glow-up is complete — and Messi, the greatest of them all, is clearly delighted for him.