What if holding the Ballon d’Or title before a World Cup was actually a bad omen? It’s a statistic that the French national team, Les Bleus, would rather not think about.
Since the inception of the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 1956 — an award given annually to the best footballer in the world — no reigning winner has ever gone on to lift the World Cup trophy in the same cycle.
Across 17 World Cup tournaments since then, the player entering as the current Ballon d’Or holder has reached the final on only five occasions, but never managed to win the ultimate prize.
However, this record could also be seen as a motivating challenge rather than a curse. For Ousmane Dembélé, it represents a chance to rewrite history and achieve what no Ballon d’Or holder has done before.
For that to happen, France will first need to overcome Paraguay in their round of 16 clash on Saturday night — a crucial step on their path to glory.
📸 Dan Mullan - 2026 Getty Images
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