Ballon d’Or for Dembélé - exclusive: ex-coach Philippe Montanier recalls his rise

Ousmane Dembélé has been crowned the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner. Few doubted it after his stunning 2024/25 season, but it’s a twist few would have predicted back in his Barcelona days, when he looked a shadow of the player he has since become.

The Frenchman is living proof of how the right club, the right teammates and the right manager can change everything. Speaking to TuttoMercatoWeb.com, Philippe Montanier - the man who gave him his Ligue 1 debut at Rennes - shared his insight. Now 60, Montanier has a track record for spotting talent, having also launched Antoine Griezmann at Real Sociedad.

“The Ballon d’Or for Dembélé is the logical conclusion of a fantastic season for him, within a team that won everything,” Montanier said. “A completely deserved victory, with all due respect to Yamal. They were the two best players, but the trophies made the difference. And Dembélé played a decisive part in winning the most important one of all: the Champions League.”

At Barcelona he seemed a lost cause. In Paris he has been reborn.
“The right club, the right environment - that makes all the difference. And the people inside it matter just as much. Ousmane was fortunate to cross paths with Luis Enrique, who built an exceptional group that allows players to perform at their best. When everything clicks, it becomes easier. Then Ousmane added the rest himself - his qualities were fully brought out.”

Not long ago, few imagined Dembélé would lift the Ballon d’Or before Kylian Mbappé.
“Plenty of great players have never won the Ballon d’Or. In the end, the team you are in at that moment counts for a lot. With PSG, Dembélé won what Mbappé couldn’t. The Champions League carries the most weight, when there’s no World Cup. Kylian was unlucky in that sense. But I believe he still has all the time in the world to make up for it: his qualities are not in doubt, and he plays at a great club that can put him in the position to win everything. The Ballon d’Or then follows as a consequence.”

Montanier still remembers vividly the teenager he promoted at Rennes.
“He was 17, with enormous room to improve. He had been playing in the amateur set-up, but his numbers were incredible, so I brought him into the first team even though he was still very young. You could see he had the potential for a great career. Of course, I couldn’t predict he would go on to win the Ballon d’Or, but I realised I had a huge talent in my hands. It’s no coincidence that not long after he was already a starter. From there, he had the merit of growing, learning and improving. And he has now reached the very pinnacle of his career.”