Dembele not focusing on Ballon d’Or talk as PSG star prepares to fulfil Champions League final dream

Ousmane Dembele is putting talk of him winning the Ballon d’Or to the back of his mind as he looks to help Paris Saint-Germain secure Champions League glory with victory over Inter Milan.

Dembele has enjoyed an outstanding season for Luis Enrique’s men, scoring 33 goals and providing 11 assists to help PSG to a second successive Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double, and to the brink of a long-awaited first Champions League title.

His prolific form has put him in the thick of the conversation for world football’s most prestigious individual honour.

But the former Barcelona forward showed little interest in questions surrounding how a Champions League title would help his cause.

“When you are a PSG player, what’s important is to take home the silverware such as the Champions League,” Dembele told a pre-match press conference.

“I am focused on the team, not individual trophies. It [Ballon d’Or] is in the back of mind, but I want to focus on the team.”

PSG narrowly avoided the humiliation of exiting the revamped tournament in the league phase, but have knocked out Premier League clubs Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal en route to reaching the final.

But the Allianz Arena showpiece will see them take on an Inter side that beat Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals before winning a semi-final epic with Barca.

“Since January, we have really had a change of mindset and we want to continue now and get the victory and we are very excited about the game,” Dembele added.

“Inter is a wonderful team that deserves to be in the final. They are physical, know how to defend, how to get up front, so we have a strong opponent.

“I’ve prepared well for this final. Since I was a kid, I’ve been dreaming of playing in this game.

“We have to remain concentrated on the game, on the team, on myself. I hope we’ll be able to produce a fantastic performance.”

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