Dembélé's Ballon d'Or Moment Sparks PSG's European Return

PSG's Dembélé Returns as Enrique Names 21-Man Squad for Leverkusen

Spanish coach Louis Enrique, PSG's manager, has named the squad that will face Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, in the third round of the Champions League group stage.

The Parisians began their continental title defense with a perfect start, collecting six points from their first two matches, a 4-0 home win over Atalanta and a 2-1 away victory at Barcelona in Montjuïc.

Leverkusen, by contrast, have drawn both of their opening games: 2-2 with Copenhagen in Denmark and 1-1 with PSV Eindhoven in Germany.

Enrique has included 21 players for the Leverkusen game, including the return of Ousmane Dembélé, who has been sidelined for more than six weeks with a right thigh injury.

Dembélé picked up the knock during France's Euro qualifier against Ukraine on September 5, as the World Cup 2026 qualifiers play out across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The injury ruled him out of PSG's past seven fixtures in all competitions, while midfielders Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz remain sidelined due to muscular issues.

The PSG squad includes: Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Beraldo, Marquinhos, Ilaï Zabarnyi, Khvicha Kvartatskhelia, Gonçalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doy, Vitinha, Lee Kang-In, Lucas Hernandez, Sini Maiaolo, Nuno Mendes, Bradley Barcola, Lucas Shovalier, Warren Zaier Imri, Matvei Saffonov, Quintin Ngantto, Ibrahim Mbay, Willian Pacho, Renato Marin.

The newspaper Le Parisien suggested Dembélé might not start against Leverkusen due to his long absence, arguing Enrique will not risk him but will keep him as an impact option depending on the match scenario.

Ballon d'Or Night, French Standings, and European Prospects

On the night of September 22, French winger Ousmane Dembélé claimed the Ballon d'Or, becoming the world’s best player for the first time, ahead of Spanish youngster Lamine Yamal, at a ceremony held at a historic venue in Paris.

Dembélé received the Ballon d'Or from Brazilian legend Ronaldinho after a trophy-laden season with four titles for his club.

Yamal did not leave the ceremony empty-handed, winning the Kopa Award as the season's best young player for the second year running.

Dembélé thus became the sixth Frenchman to win the Ballon d'Or, extending France’s tally to eight all-time, with Michel Platini (three times), Raymond Kopa, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, and Karim Benzema among previous winners.

French Ligue 1 Standings (2025-2026)

After a stunning 6-2 win over Le Havre, Marseille tops the Ligue 1 table with 18 points as rivals’ stumbles accumulate.

Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champions, only managed a 3-3 draw with Strasbourg at the Parc des Princes, while Monaco drew 1-1 with Angers, and Lyon fell 2-3 to Nice on Saturday.

As a result, PSG sit second with 17 points, having won just one of their last four matches, with two draws and a single defeat to Marseille in the classic that coincided with the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

Strasbourg sit third with 16 points, followed by Lyon on 15 and Monaco on 14; Lens are one point back in eighth, as Ligue 1 prepares for a busy spell with European ties looming.

Leaders look ahead to continental tests, with PSG visiting Leverkusen, Marseille visiting Sporting Lisbon, and Monaco hosting Tottenham in the Champions League.

Lyon host Basel in the Europa League, while Strasbourg welcome Jagellonia in the Conference League.

PSG’s Ligue 1 results

PSG have five wins and one loss, to Marseille, in the Classic that coincided with the Ballon d'Or ceremony, postponed 24 hours due to bad weather, followed by back-to-back draws.

PSG beat Nantes and Angers 1-0 in the first two rounds, then defeated Toulouse 6-3, Lens 2-0, and beat Auxerre 2-0 in the last match before the international break.

Before the international break, the Parisians drew away at Lille 1-1 and hosted Strasbourg 3-3 at the Parc des Princes, surrendering the Ligue 1 lead after eight rounds.

Punchline time: If PSG’s defense keeps misplacing opponents’ finishing, even Sherlock Holmes would file a complaint about the lack of evidence. Punchline 2: Dembélé’s back and the ball seems to have found its way home again—somewhere between glory and a slightly riskier sprint.