Paris Saint-Germain forward, Ousmane Dembele, appreciated Lionel Messi in his acceptance speech after winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or award on Monday night.
Dembele was confirmed as winner ahead of Barcelona’s youngster, Lamine Yamal.
His PSG team-mate Vitinha finished in third place.
While receiving the award, Dembele expressed his gratitude to Messi, who played alongside with at Barca.
According to him, he learnt a lot being team-mates with Messi, who has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards.
Dembele said: “This is an award thanks to the collective. I want to thank all my team-mates.
“I want to thank Barcelona, the club of my dreams. I played with Lionel Messi. I want to thank him too.
“To have been able to play with Lionel Messi…I have learned so much from him.”