Jean-Baptiste Duault, Ousmane Dembélé’s fitness coach for the past five years, spoke to L’Équipe after the forward won the 2025 Ballon d’Or in Paris on Monday night. The 28-year-old Paris Saint-Germain and France international had to work hard to get there — far from the image of a player who coasts along — something Duault, who works with him throughout the week, was keen to stress. He even gave some insight into the program designed to keep Dembélé at peak fitness.
“This image of a laid-back player has always surprised me. It’s false.”
At the time Dembélé was often injured and heavily criticized. Did you sense a man full of doubt?
“No, not at all. Mentally, Ousmane is unstoppable — truly unstoppable. We’ve been working together for five years and I’ve never seen him give up. I’ve never sensed doubt in him. In the first few months, yes, he understood there was work to do, but I never saw any fear that he couldn’t do it. Not at all. He’s curious, hard-working and interested — the exact opposite of what I used to read.”
What do you mean?
“This image of a player in dilettante mode has always surprised me. It’s false — even unfair. Ousmane is a hard worker. Like all great champions, he needs to understand why. You have to explain concretely what each exercise will bring him, with clear language. He grasped it right away, but there’s a period before you see results. He bought into it 100%, but it takes six to eight weeks to get the first results. He was patient.”
“We break the work down into several specific sessions during the week.”
What specifically changed? What does your weekly program with Dembélé look like now?
“Beyond what he does with the team, we break the work down into several specific sessions each week. There’s a leg session. A second one focused on injury prevention with specific muscle work. A core session. Another one on explosiveness-power-speed. And finally, a session dedicated to flexibility and elasticity. That’s what structures our week.
And of course, there are all the habits he’s picked up. For example, pre-activation. At the training center we have a warm room where Ousmane can get on the bike to raise his temperature — both cardio and muscular. He does it before every session.”
Dembélé wasn’t initially known as the most professional player. But he has a kind of “disconnect” or relaxed attitude that some mistook for a lack of seriousness or interest. In reality, he simply needed more demands and work in his weekly routine.
That’s why he turned to Duault for physical preparation when he was going through a period of frequent injuries. Little by little, they managed to correct things — even if not everything disappeared overnight. That’s only natural. It takes time for such work to bear fruit, especially when the body has already suffered from repeated injuries.
Now we know a little more about the daily effort required on top of club training, coordinated closely with PSG. It’s a reminder that champions have to put in huge work — which is why winning titles brings such immense joy. It takes seriousness and sacrifice. Having a Dembélé this determined in the squad allows his talent to shine more regularly.
