Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele won the 2025 Ballon d’Or on Monday night and used his speech to thank Lionel Messi.

The French winger was announced as the winner ahead of Barcelona’s young talent, Lamine Yamal, while his PSG teammate Vitinha came in third place.

In his acceptance speech, Dembele showed gratitude to Messi, who he once played alongside at Barcelona.

He explained that being teammates with Messi helped him grow, as the Argentine legend—holder of a record eight Ballon d’Or titles—inspired him a lot.

“This award is not just mine; it belongs to the team,” Dembele said. “I want to thank my teammates, Barcelona, which has always been my dream club, and especially Lionel Messi. Playing with him taught me so much.”