The strange Ballon d'Or curse at the World Cup 🤔

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4 July 2026

Don’t do this to us, Ousmane.

What if being the reigning Ballon d’Or holder at the

World Cup

was a curse? It’s a stat Les Bleus could have done without.

It’s simple: since 1956 and the creation of the prestigious trophy awarded to the best player of the season, the reigning holder has never won the World Cup!

Across the 17 editions concerned, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner has reached the final only five times.

But rather than being defeatist, this statistic can also be seen as a new opportunity for Ousmane Dembélé to make history.

To do that, France will first have to get past Paraguay this Saturday night in the round of 16.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence.

You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

📸 Dan Mullan - 2026 Getty Images

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