“I Had to Google Him!” – Sarkodie Reveals First Meeting with Ballon d’Or Winner Dembele

Ghanaian rap heavyweight Sarkodie has revealed that he didn’t even know who Ousmane Dembele was the first time they met!

Speaking on Lawson TV, Sarkodie admitted: “I really did not know about Dembele. It was my team who prompted me about him, and I even had to search him up. He is a cool guy and very down-to-earth. At first, I thought he was just a friend of Memphis and they were simply hanging out together. Apparently, he was already a superstar.”

According to the rapper, he had only met the French star once — during a link-up in New York with Barcelona and Netherlands forward Memphis Depay. “My friend is Memphis, I have even made a song with him which is yet to be released so I was meeting him in New York and that was when I met Dembele. That was the only time we met.”

Fast-forward to 2025, and that “cool guy” Sarkodie barely knew has just been crowned the best footballer on the planet. Dembele was named the Ballon d’Or 2025 winner in Paris, beating out Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal to the top prize. The PSG forward, who helped his club to a historic treble including their first-ever Champions League triumph, shed tears as fans chanted his name during the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí clinched the women’s Ballon d’Or, confirming her dominance in world football.

From a casual meet-up in New York to the world stage in Paris, Dembele’s rise is nothing short of remarkable.