Dembélé: Focused on UCL title not Ballon d'Or

Paris Saint-Germain guardant Ousmane Dembélé has said that a imaginable Ballon d'Or grant is firmly astatine the backmost of his caput arsenic helium prepares for Saturday's Champions League last against Inter Milan.

The France planetary has been a cardinal fig for the Parisians during their tally to the last and has been 1 of the outstanding players successful Europe this play with 30 goals successful each competitions, including a tally of 24 successful 18 games from December to March.

Those performances person seen Dembélé look arsenic the front-runner to triumph this year's Ballon d'Or.

But the 28-year-old said that the accidental to triumph the eventual idiosyncratic accolade takes 2nd spot to winning PSG's archetypal Champions League title.

"When you are a PSG player, what's important is to instrumentality location the silverware specified arsenic the Champions League," helium said. "I americium focused connected the team, not idiosyncratic trophies. It [Ballon d'Or] is successful the backmost of mind, but I privation to absorption connected the team.

"Since January, we person truly had a alteration of mindset and we privation to proceed present and get the triumph and we are precise excited astir the game.

"Inter is simply a fantastic squad that deserves to beryllium successful the final. They are physical, cognize however to defend, however to get up front, truthful we person a beardown opponent.

"I've prepared good for this final. Since I was a kid, I've been dreaming of playing successful this game.

"We person to stay concentrated connected the game, connected the team, connected myself. I anticipation we'll beryllium capable to nutrient a fantastic performance."

Dembélé, who joined PSG from Barcelona successful 2023, has helped capable the void near by the departure of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid past summer. Mbappé's exit followed those of the different 2 members of the club's erstwhile superstar guardant trio, Lionel Messi and Neymar.

With the travel departed, determination has been a greater absorption connected the collective.

"It's astir being a team, not a radical of individuals," PSG skipper Marquinhos said. "I'm successful emotion with this team. It's a delight to beryllium portion of the squad."

Success for PSG would marque it the archetypal French champions of Europe since bitter rivals Marseille successful 1993, and yet reward years of immense concern from its Qatar Sports Investments, who bought a bulk involvement successful the nine successful 2011.

The French champions' lone erstwhile Champions League last came successful 2020, erstwhile they were defeated by Bayern Munich.

Information from The Associated Press was utilized successful this report.