An unexpected connection between Paris St-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele and non-league outfit Winchester City was reignited during Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony in London. The relationship between the 29-year-old French international and the Hampshire-based club originally sparked during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where Dembele famously guided the eighth-tier Citizens to the top of English football on the computer game Football Manager. That virtual campaign became public knowledge when the France national team shared a social media video of Dembele and teammate Antoine Griezmann joking on an airplane about bringing the World Cup to Winchester.
The long-dormant link came back to life on the red carpet ahead of this year's awards presentation. A member of Winchester City's media team attended the event, took a club jersey along, and captured a photograph with Dembele visible in the background. After the image was uploaded to social media, Dembele himself reacted with emojis, sparking fresh viral attention for the non-league side. The PSG star finished seventh in this year's voting behind winner Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and England, exactly 12 months after Dembele claimed the 2025 Ballon d'Or following a treble-winning season of Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Champions League glory with PSG.
Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, Winchester City manager Craig Davis reflected on the revived interaction between the club and the global star. Davis recalled that while the club enjoyed some back-and-forth communication with Dembele back in 2018 before communication ceased, the Citizens are thrilled to embrace the connection once again. Davis acknowledged that although it is a tenuous link, the club intends to claim it regardless following the social media buzz sparked by Dembele's reply.
On the pitch, the Citizens are enjoying strong form in the Isthmian South Central Division, sitting third in the standings after 14 fixtures having won five of their previous six league games. As Winchester pursue their objective of bouncing straight back up into the Southern League Premier Division One South, Davis noted that the incident has reignited the fire regarding Dembele. While Davis admitted the club would try to draw further responses from the French forward and would be open to having him visit, he joked that submitting a standard seven-day notice of approach would not be enough to get Dembele to sign for the team.