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Dembele and Kvaratskhelia back each other for Ballon d'Or: 'We can cut it in two'

By DeepSeek V4 Flash
September 25 2026, 01:27 AM

PSG's dynamic duo back each other for the Ballon d'Or — and offer to share it

Paris St-Germain forwards Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have thrown their weight behind each other for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, with the reigning holder joking that the pair could split the prize between them.

"We can cut it in two," Dembele joked in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, before adding: "Honestly, he [Kvaratskhelia] deserves it, the season he had was exceptional."

Kvaratskhelia returned the compliment without hesitation. "Of course it's him [Dembele], the season he had last year, he deserves it," he told BBC Sport journalist Julien Laurens.

PSG forwards Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

The reaction will come as no surprise to PSG supporters, who watched the duo link up ruthlessly and selflessly on countless occasions during their side's Champions League title defence last season. The Ballon d'Or is celebrating its 70th anniversary, and the winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on 26 October — the choice of venue a tribute to the award's first winner, Englishman Sir Stanley Matthews.

PSG won almost everything in front of them last season, so it is little surprise that 10 of their players feature on the 30-man shortlist for the greatest individual prize in football. While only one name can be read out on the night, Dembele and Kvaratskhelia have made clear they would happily share the moment.

'Kvaradona': the Georgian who nearly went to the Premier League

PSG made just one signing in January 2025 — the last transfer window before their first Champions League title later that year — and it was the £59m capture of Kvaratskhelia from Napoli. The then 23-year-old Georgian was already a hero in Naples, where supporters had nicknamed him 'Kvaradona' during Napoli's 2022-23 title-winning campaign.

Full of flair, technically superb and forward-thinking, Kvaratskhelia's play was once compared to that of George Best by Italian legend Gianfranco Zola, although Kvaratskhelia himself cites Cristiano Ronaldo as his biggest inspiration. Like his idol, he has an impressive work-rate and a winning mentality — PSG have won 10 trophies out of a possible 12 since his arrival.

"[He's] electric," said Dembele. "Every time he has the ball something can happen. Every time he goes one v one, he provokes the opponent. He has shown all his quality. Especially last season where he had a really, really good season. Thankfully we didn't let him go to the Premier League."

Kvaratskhelia was named the Champions League's best player of last season after his 10 goals and six assists produced a goal contribution in Europe's premier club competition every 72 minutes. He did most of his best work at the business end of the tournament, becoming the first player to score or assist in seven consecutive knockout appearances in a single Champions League campaign.

Kvaratskhelia says his motivation comes from his father, who played for Dinamo Tbilisi and the Azerbaijani national team. Like his father, Khvicha began his career at Tbilisi before spells at Lokomotiv Moscow and Rubin Kazan in Russia, until Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted a move back home to Dinamo Batumi and then on to Napoli.

"I think for the big nations it's really difficult to understand what [winning a Ballon d'Or] would mean for the small country [like Georgia]," Kvaratskhelia told BBC Sport. "It's something that is very far, it's like impossible, of course I will be the happiest guy because I want to make my family and country proud."

Dembele: from Barcelona's record signing to PSG's main star

While defenders double up to deal with Kvaratskhelia on the left wing, Dembele is finding even more joy down the right. The 29-year-old France forward's blistering pace and cool finishing helped him to a combined 31 goals and assists last season which, thanks to a low workload in terms of game time, worked out at 1.27 goal contributions per 90 minutes. Only Harry Kane boasted a better rate among players in Europe's top five leagues last term.

The current Ballon d'Or holder also scored six goals in 10 appearances for France in 2026 as his side reached the semi-finals of the World Cup.

"He's an amazing player," said Kvaratskhelia. "The way he leads the team is important, the way his personality and what he gives the team on the pitch is really incredible, and the season he had last year, it was amazing. I think we understand each other very, very much. It's easy to understand what he will make and you just have to make some move and he will give you a ball wherever he wants and wherever you are waiting."

Dembele's goal threat is well known by now. At PSG he has shown the quality that persuaded Barcelona to pay £135.5m to sign him from Borussia Dortmund in 2017. It may not have worked out in Spain, but it meant PSG were able to pick him up for a bargain £43.5m in 2023, and since Kylian Mbappe left for Real Madrid, the Parisians have made Dembele their main star.

"I didn't change," Dembele added. "I played my game, last season and the one before when I won the Ballon d'Or, I stayed the same person. When you win it for the first time, you don't want people to say that you were lucky. So you want to continue to be at the top."

Who else could lift the prize?

If not the PSG duo, then who? England captain Harry Kane is actually odds-on to win after a club-record 61 goals in 51 games for German double winners Bayern Munich last season, and he also scored six times at the World Cup. Lamine Yamal, who won La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain, is second favourite, followed by his club and international team-mate Rodri.

Real Madrid forward Mbappe scored 42 goals in 44 games for his club last season and won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals on his way to becoming the World Cup's all-time record goalscorer. Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, looking to win a ninth Ballon d'Or, has also been nominated, as has Dembele and Kvaratskhelia's PSG team-mate Ferran Torres, who scored Spain's winner in the World Cup final.

The full 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist

The winner will be revealed at the anniversary ceremony in London on 26 October, when the football world will discover whether the Ballon d'Or stays in Paris or moves elsewhere.

Sources: https://bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c3qjk1qd1wx0o