Paris St-Germain v Real Madrid in Club World Cup: How Kylian Mbappe's exit paved way for Ousmane Dembele to be the best

"I'm thinking about the Ballon d'Or. I know that, with the season I have had, I am not far."

Paris St-Germain striker Ousmane Dembele goes into Wednesday's Club World Cup semi-final against Real Madrid tipped by many to claim this year's prize for the world's best player.

His goals have already helped a young and vibrant PSG side win the Champions League, Ligue 1 and Coupe de France this season - now he has his eyes on completing a quadruple in the United States.

Not only does the tie at the MetLife Stadium in New York pit the current European champions against the record winners of the competition, it also sees Dembele go head to head with friend and former PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe.

Mbappe is PSG's record goalscorer with 256 goals after joining them from Monaco on an initial loan in 2017, but it was not until after his departure that football's holy grail - the Champions League - finally ended up in Paris.

Ironically, you could also credit Mbappe's PSG exit last summer with paving the way for 28-year-old Dembele to have the greatest season of his career to date.

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