Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has expressed his support for Ousmane Dembele in his quest for the Ballon d'Or after he played a key role in the club achieving their first Champions League triumph.
Although Dembele failed to score in Saturday's 5-0 win over Inter, he did provide two assists and a fine assist for PSG's third.
The former Barcelona striker has scored 33 goals in all competitions this season, 22 of which have come this calendar year, and helped the Parisians add the Champions League title to their Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles.
Luis Enrique was forced off in a defeat to Arsenal in October and the striker was sent off against Bayern a month later, but he responded superbly to produce his best performance of the season and become the bookmakers' favourite to win the Ballon d'Or.
Although Dembele was modest in his assessment of his achievements ahead of Saturday's match, his coach backed the 28-year-old after the one-sided final.
“I would like to say that everyone is talking about the Ballon d'Or, but I would give it to Ousmane Dembele,” Enrique said at a press conference.
“If you think about his defensive performance, he showed what he can do. He was a leader, he was humble, he stepped back and defended. I absolutely think he deserves it.
“Not just for the goals he scored, but for the pressing we saw. We saw him do it this season and he was outstanding in that final.”
Dembele will have the chance to further demonstrate his ambitions at the end of the month when PSG compete at the Club World Cup in America.
While Enrique's side are unlikely to get a rest, he is aiming to add the continental trophy to his already impressive haul of the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophée des Champions.
Enrique added: “I think it's a fantastic competition. It may not be the first edition, but it will be a very important trophy to win.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
