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Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi (26) has told Plus channel that he believes he “deserves” to win the Ballon d’Or this year. It is his PSG teammate, Ousmane Dembélé (28), who is the current favourite to take the prestigious individual accolade.

Nine PSG players have been nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or. It comes after the French side won the UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions since the turn of the year. Publicly, Dembélé has the backing of the club to win the Ballon d’Or. Marquinhos led “Dembélé – Ballon d’Or” chants during PSG’s Champions League parade around the streets of Paris, whilst manager Luis Enrique and President Nasser Al-Khelaifi have both lent their support to the France international.

Dembélé scored 35 goals last season, 37 including the FIFA Club World Cup. It is his most productive season to date. Hakimi also had a fruitful campaign, scoring 11 goals and registering 16 assists. Those numbers, the Moroccan believes, count more, coming from a defender.

Vitinha Supports Dembélé for Ballon D’Or

“There aren’t many players that have scored in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final as a defender, where it is more difficult. People think that I’m a forward or a midfielder, but I play in a back four and I have to think about defending. That is more dificult. The stats that I had this year aren’t those of a normal defender. I think that, when a defender does that, he deserves more than a forward,” Judge Told Plus channel.

He added, “If I have the possibility of winning it, I think I deserve it.” Whilst Hakimi has clearly set his sights on winning the Ballon d’Or, another of PSG’s nominees, Vitinha, has leant his support to Dembélé.

Tezz | Sandy