Who said what? Ronaldinho, Karim Benzema and others react as Ousmane Dembele win 2025 Ballon d'Or

Reactions poured in from the football world as Ousmane Dembele won the 2025 Ballon d'Or. The Frenchman beat the likes of Lamine Yamal (2nd) and teammate Vitinha (3rd) for the coveted prize.

The Ballon d'Or ceremony took place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday, September 22, where Ousmane Dembele was crowned the winner. He helped Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) win five trophies last year and also helped France reach the UEFA Nations League semi-finals.

Following his win, many former and current football stars congratulated Dembele on social media. The Frenchman received the award on Monday from Ronaldinho, who wrote in an Instagram post:

"Thanks@ballondorofficial for the invitation, many good memories tonight!!! [email protected] and @aitanabonmati for being crowned with the Ballon d'Or, and also to all the players awarded and nominated... you are the present and future of our football."

Karim Benzema shared Dembele's picture with the award in his hand on his Instagram story and wrote:

"Bravo"

Eduardo Camavinga shared Stade Rennais' tribute post for the PSG attacker on his story. Aurelien Tchouameni, meanwhile, shared France Football's post and wrote:

"God is Great"

Jules Kounde also shared the same post on his story and wrote in French:

"Congratulations my guy"

Aurelien Tchouameni, Karim Benzema and Jules Kounde congratulate Ousmane Dembele (Image Source: Instagram/@aurelientchm, @jkeey4, & @karimbenzema)

Notably, Tchouameni, Kounde, Benzema, and Camavinga have played with Dembele for the French national team.

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Lionel Messi congratulates Ousmane Dembele for 2025 Ballon d'Or win

Ousmane Dembele also received adulation from his former teammate and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, Lionel Messi. After the event on Monday, the Frenchman shared a carousel post on his Instagram account, with the caption:

"Lots of joy, pride and emotion. A dream come true. Thank you to all those who have always supported me throughout this journey. #ballondor"

Lionel Messi commented on the post:

"Great Ous!!! Congratulations, I'm very happy for you. You deserve it"

Dembele had also thanked Messi, among others, during his speech after the Ballon d'Or win, saying:

"Thanks to all the clubs I’ve played for. I achieved my dream of playing for Barcelona, I played alongside legends like Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta, and I learned so much from them."

Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi shared the pitch 95 times for Barcelona and combined for 15 goals. Dembele then joined PSG in the summer of 2023, but Messi left the Parisians and joined Inter Miami that summer.

Edited by Aditya Singh