This exclusive interview with Ousmane Dembele was originally printed in FourFourTwo issue 382.
Just two seasons on from returning to his homeland, Masour Ousmane Dembele has won this year’s Ballon d’Or – France’s sixth and, in a way, least likely recipient of football’s most prestigious individual award.
Receiving the 69th edition of the honour at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, Dembele follows in the footsteps of luminaries such as Raymond Kopa (1958), Michel Platini (1983, 1984 and 1985), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991), Zinedine Zidane (1998) and Karim Benzema (2022).
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It will be just reward for a 2024/25 campaign that saw Dembele play a key role for Paris Saint-Germain as they at last achieved their dream of winning the coveted Champions League, at the end of a Treble-winning campaign. For the 28-year-old, it was the icing on the cake and redemption, after a long and tortuous road that has seen him go from hero to zero and back again.
The stats are blisteringly simple but, as always, never really tell the full story. Last season with PSG, including the Club World Cup, Dembele scored 35 goals in 53 games, just five fewer than he managed over 185 matches at his previous club, Barcelona.
Dembele with Rennes at 18 (Image credit: Unknown)
Aged just 20, Dembele had arrived at a then cash-rich Barça in August 2017, following the £198m world record exit of Neymar to PSG. In turn, the young Frenchman became Barcelona’s record signing, in a deal worth £135.5m. What could possibly go wrong?
As it turned out, just about everything. After two largely injury-free seasons at senior level, first at Rennes, then at Borussia Dortmund, what followed was six years in Catalonia marred by no fewer than 14 muscle injuries and 784 days on the sidelines, plus many off-field issues. Injuries are part and parcel of football, of course, but during Dembele’s early years, there was no shortage of stories about his lifestyle.
Concerns about his professionalism, particularly in areas such as diet and discipline, meant that Barcelona reportedly assigned chefs to him in a futile attempt to improve his eating habits. Some also claimed that his love for late-night gaming affected his punctuality at training.
While the player would later admit he did not fully understand the demands of the professional path in those early stages, he also dismissed many of the stories as exaggerated. Habits were corrected and in the last two years at Barcelona, his injuries were reduced to a minimum. It was the platform for the Dembele that we’ve seen at PSG.
Back in 2021, Barcelona president Joan Laporta described Dembele as “better than Kylian Mbappe”. A week later, new Barça boss Xavi said he was a footballer who “when used properly, could be the best player in the world”.
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Two months after that, the club – by then severely cash-strapped – handed Dembele an ultimatum. Accept a new contract on reduced terms or leave. Dembele rejected the contract. Xavi, fully aware of the team’s need for his quality, defended him and disagreed with the hardline stance of the club hierarchy. But ultimately, the player was dropped from the squad.
In Catalonia, no one wanted to hear Dembele’s side of things. By then, he had often become an easy target for the Catalan media and the fans. After a time at the club that had been littered with inconsistency as well as unfulfilled potential – but also included three league titles, two Copas del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups – the writing was on the wall for him.
In the summer of 2023, the France international was bought by PSG for just £43.5m. He left the Camp Nou without anybody fully understanding or getting to know him. A mystery after six years. The man Dembele replaced at PSG was Neymar – just as it had been at Barcelona six years earlier. This time, it’s gone rather better than in Catalonia.
Ousmane Dembele stepped up at Paris Saint-Germain… to Ballon d’Or winning levels
Luis Enrique celebrates the Champions League with Dembele (Image credit: Getty Images)
Today, the player who can rightly claim to have been the best in the world in recent times, just as Xavi predicted, is sitting down exclusively with FFT for a rare one-on-one chat, to explain why things have gone so well for him since returning to Ligue 1. Dembele prefers to let his football do the talking, but there are moments when the need to show the real person behind the stories outweighs any reluctance.
Admittedly, our chat comes not long after the one real low point of his year, when PSG were not just defeated but dismantled by Chelsea in the Club World Cup final in New Jersey. It was a result so surprising that it felt almost surreal – summed up best by the now-famous Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man meme: two near-identical teams facing themselves. Chelsea out-PSG-ed PSG, pressing them into submission.
Ousmane Dembele had made just 27 top-flight appearances when he made his senior debut for France in 2016, aged 19. Hailing from Vernon in Normandy, 50 miles to the north-west of Paris, he was born to a father of Malian origin and a mother who grew up in Mauritania. The starlet joined Rennes at 13, after moving up the junior ranks at Evreux – less than a year after his debut in Ligue 1 at 18, came his first game for France, too.
Dembele’s 2016 bow for Les Bleus, as a sub against Italy, came shortly after his transfer to Germany to join Borussia Dortmund – just months after that, his first goal for his country came in a friendly versus England at the Stade de France. By the summer of 2018 he was a global champion, featuring in four games as Didier Deschamps’ team lifted the World Cup in Russia, although he was an unused sub for the semi and the final, still only 21.
Less than two months earlier, the Parisians had done exactly that to Inter in the Champions League final, thrashing the Nerazzurri 5-0, the biggest margin of victory ever recorded in the showpiece event, even including its days as the European Cup. Dembele bagged two assists in that game, but crucially was just as committed to the pressing as he was to his attacking play.
Luis Enrique explained to me at the start of the season that I had to be a leader in this team – to set an example, both to the young players and the old ones
Ousmane Dembele
PSG boss Luis Enrique is perceived as the main architect of Dembele’s redemption, catapulting the forward into the global conversation for the Ballon d’Or and other individual awards. In doing so, the manager became only the second in history to win a league, cup and Champions League treble with two different clubs, after Pep Guardiola.
The PSG boss had also claimed the domestic double in his first season at the club, before Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid – ironically intended to boost the departed superstar’s chances of bagging the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, neither of which he’s ever won – paved the way for Dembele to step up to become the main man.
“I had lots of confidence from the coach,” Dembele tells FourFourTwo. “He explained to me at the start of the season that I had to be a leader in this team – to set an example, both to the young players and the old ones.”
Ousmane Dembele in action against Arsenal (Image credit: Alamy)
PSG’s plan was to win via collective effort, but the new leader on the pitch also needed to step up as a goalscorer – not just create chances or raise the bar for others. Everyone was expected to improve their numbers, so that the exit of Mbappe to La Liga would be felt as little as was possible.“
The truth is, I also said it from the start of the campaign, I wanted to score goals, provide assists and be decisive for my team,” Dembele says. “Ultimately, it was a very good year. I was also lucky to have exceptional team-mates, who clearly raised their level. We had a great season as everyone could see, and we were happy with it.”
Ousmane Dembele never played under Luis Enrique at Barça (Image credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Dembele is unstinting in his praise for the coach. The two had not previously crossed paths at Barcelona; Luis Enrique departed the club in June 2017, just two months before Dembele signed under the management of Ernesto Valverde.
“He is someone who loves football, who lives for football, who is always looking for things he can improve,” Dembele says of his PSG boss, ahead of their defence of their European crown this term.
“Even after our final, after winning the Champions League, after the season we had, although I think he went on vacation, I know he will have been looking for a different tactic, because he knows that this season, we’re going to be the team to beat.”
Luis Enrique has had a huge impact on PSG (Image credit: Alamy)
Was there anything Luis Enrique had specifically said to him that had opened his eyes, either personally or tactically, and helped him to reach new heights?
“The thing he told me, when I spoke with him at the beginning of the season, was mainly to pull the team up and set an example for the team, because he told me that I’m one of the players that others look up to,” Dembele explains.
Many believed, myself included, that his return to form coincided with Luis Enrique telling him to be a bit more proactive, a bit more selfish when chances came his way – and if he did that, more goals would surely come. Dembele disagrees.
“No,” he insists. “He didn’t tell me to be selfish, quite the opposite. He told me that when you’re in front of goal, if you can’t shoot and there’s someone better positioned than you, then you have to pass. That’s how he sees things, and what he told me. He repeated that to me.
“Of course, he’s happy that I’m scoring goals, because a striker, an offensive player, has to score. But he sees things a little differently. He doesn’t ask me to be selfish, but to focus on the team, and then the goals will come naturally.
“Luis Enrique gives me total freedom on the pitch, to interchange with my team-mates, to go a little deeper, to stay higher… and the structure adapts to it all. It’s something I enjoy, and it’s something that I quickly adapted to.”
A more central role
Dembele is presented as a Barcelona player (Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)
Some have wondered if his success in recent times has partially been due to what many perceive as a new-found ability to adapt to multiple positions – playing centrally more often, and not just purely as a winger, where Dembele almost always started when Mbappe was at PSG. But the man himself doesn’t exactly see it that way.
“I’ve always known how to adapt to different positions,” Dembele insists. “Don’t forget that when I started out at Stade Rennais, I played as a no.10 or even sometimes a number nine, as part of a 4-4-2 system. These are roles that I’ve known from the beginning, and I really enjoy playing centrally – because from there, you can drift to the right, to the left or drop deep. It’s something I liked doing at Rennes and Dortmund.”
He acknowledges that things changed at Barcelona, where he was deployed almost exclusively on the wing. Again though, he found a way to adapt. “At Barça, I played mostly as a winger, but it’s a position I like as well, so I quickly adjusted to it,” he explains.
DEMBELE’S GOAL RECORD
RENNES 2015/16 12 goals in 29 games
DORTMUND 2016/17 10 goals in 49 games
BARCELONA 2017/18 4 goals in 23 games
BARCELONA 2018/19 14 goals in 42 games
BARCELONA 2019/20 1 goal in 9 games
BARCELONA 2020/21 11 goals in 44 games
BARCELONA 2021/22 2 goals in 32 games
BARCELONA 2022/23 8 goals in 35 games
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 2023/24 6 goals in 42 games
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 2024/25 35 goals in 53 games
Still, Dembele is very quick to point out that his success at the Parc des Princes hasn’t just about his positional flexibility – it has also been about the collective strength and intelligence of the players around him, as well as their complete willingness to bring the manager’s ideas to life while on the pitch.
“I’m surrounded by players who are really intelligent on the field,” he says. “And with the coach’s instructions, we manage to connect easily. Take Fabian Ruiz, for example – if I drop deep, he’ll push up a bit. If I shift left or right, he’ll adjust accordingly. It’s all very fluid. The same goes for Achraf Hakimi – he pops up everywhere. We are just constantly adapting to each other.”
For Dembele, the essence of that style lies not just in tactics or movement, but in mentality. “Football is mostly in the mind,” he explains. “It’s about adapting quickly to new patterns and ideas. I play alongside very smart players who have embraced this style of play and taken to Luis Enrique’s vision with enthusiasm.”
Top of the Rock with Cole Palmer in New York (Image credit: Unknown)
There is something else that boss Luis Enrique does that makes some of his players uncomfortable and can end up pushing them away from his relentless demands – his plain-spoken approach to everything and his desire for every player to be fighting for their place in the starting line-up, all of the time.
“He’s someone who has great ideas and an exceptional tactical sense,” says Dembele. “He is very frank, and he is not afraid to say what needs to be said to the players. Above all, what I like most about him is that he puts a lot of competition into the team. If you want to play in the starting 11, you have to show that in training and in matches. That’s what I like most about him.”
I remind Dembele that last season, three out of the four Champions League semi-finalists were exponents of the positional, possession-based game played by PSG, and wonder whether maybe that was another reason for their success and his resurgence?
Making great strides at Dortmund (Image credit: Unknown)
“It’s a system that benefits players because you understand very quickly, with the detailed coaching that you get, what to do all the time, and where your team-mates are,” he says. “It helps us create movements that are difficult to identify. Also, generally, when you have the ball most of the time, then you have a better chance of winning… even if sometimes you might lose.
“It’s a style of play I like a lot. I played that style for Barcelona, Dortmund and even for Rennes. I had the ball and it’s a style of play that gives you safety – on the pitch, I have the impression that you’re more certain to win with that than with any other style. It’s a style of play that I like – in fact, everyone at Paris Saint-Germain likes it.”
Things cannot go to plan every single time though, as PSG found to their cost when they lost 3-0 to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final. The Blues played with a very similar style.
It’s a system that benefits players because you understand very quickly, with the detailed coaching that you get, what to do all the time, and where your team-mates are
Ousmane Dembele
“They play a bit like us, positional play, with three at the back to get the ball out,” says Dembele, who’d posed for promotional photos at the top of New York’s Rockefeller Center ahead of the match, alongside opposite number Cole Palmer.
The Frenchman helped PSG to the final with key goals against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, after missing the first matches of the tournament through injury.
“Chelsea have exceptional players too, they’re a very good team,” he adds. “They were better than us in that final, and they deserved their victory. Yes, they did approach the game very much like we do, but they did it better and that hurt us in that final.”
Dropped at the Emirates
PSG struggled in the Champions League before Christmas (Image credit: Getty Images)
Dembele has had to learn the hard way that, with Luis Enrique, there is a red line that cannot be crossed. Last September, following PSG’s 3-1 triumph over the forward’s old club Rennes at the Parc des Princes, there was a tense moment between Dembele and the manager – a heated exchange that ultimately led to Dembele’s exclusion from the squad for the following match, a league stage fixture at Arsenal in the Champions League, which the Gunners won 2-0.
PSG took just four points from their first five games in the league stage, putting them in real danger of not even making the top 24 and going out before the knockout phase. But Luis Enrique stressed the importance of players fulfilling their responsibilities to the team, as he explained the reasons for his decision to drop Dembele.
“The best thing I did was not to play him in London against Arsenal, even though that was heavily criticised,” the manager said. “It was my best decision of the year. He did the rest himself.”
We just had discussions – about what was going well, what wasn’t. He told me things clearly, but it wasn’t, as people might think, an argument.
Ousmane Dembele
The disagreement stemmed from Dembele taking offence at how the manager had addressed him in front of the squad – something to which the player admits he overreacted. Not long afterwards, he apologised. Looking back now, Dembele frames it differently.
“No, I never had an argument with him,” he says. “We just had discussions – about what was going well, what wasn’t. He told me things clearly, but it wasn’t, as people might think, an argument. We talked, then he made his decisions. It didn’t affect myself or the coach. We spoke, and that was it. After, I saw that a lot was being said – but you know how the press is.”
Regardless of the exact details, the episode appeared to have sharpened Dembele’s focus, reinforcing the real importance of the team ethic and his key role within it.
Ousmane Dembele celebrates netting against Arsenal (Image credit: UEFA via Getty Images)
“Helping the team is the most important thing,” explains the forward, who scored four times in PSG’s final two league stage fixtures in the Champions League, securing vital wins over Manchester City and Stuttgart that confirmed their progress into the next round. When PSG headed back to the Emirates to face Arsenal in the semis, Dembele not only played from the start, but scored the only goal of the game.
“Before thinking about goals or being decisive, you have to help the team,” he insists, though. “That is the key to success – as we saw this year. I’ve never been the kind of player who does not defend, who only thinks about himself.
“Although, to be honest, contradicting a bit what I said earlier, I was a bit more selfish this year – that’s probably why I scored more goals! But ever since I was little, I’ve always thought about the team – about playing with a collective spirit. I think that’s one of the reasons why I had such a great season.
FRENCH BALLON D’OR WINNERS
1958 Raymond Kopa
1983, 1984, 1985 Michel Platini
1991 Jean-Pierre Papin
1998 Zinedine Zidane
2022 Karim Benzema
2025 Ousmane Dembele
“The coach told me at the start of the season that I had to help the team and set an example. He said that if I didn’t lead by example, I would lose my place in the starting XI. So I knew I had to put the team first – and that’s exactly what I have done.”
If there was any doubt about his total commitment to the pressing game that is demanded by his coach, then look no further than an image that went viral of Dembele during the Champions League final, hunched over and staring forward on the edge of the penalty area, like he was waiting for the starter’s gun at the beginning of the Olympic 100m final.
PSG were already winning, but he appeared full of concentration, eyes fixed on Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer, waiting for his opponents to take a goal kick, seemingly so he could charge in and press them immediately.
Dembele looks to steal the ball from Yann Sommer (Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)
Asked what was really going through his head at the moment that picture was taken, the answer is disarmingly simple.
“The fact is, after running three, four or five sprints… I’m tired!” he says, quickly bursting into laughter. “When I get into that position, it’s to recover from the efforts I’ve just made.“
But the coach asks me not to give the goalkeeper and defenders time to think because if you give them those three, four or five vital seconds, they have time to think, put in the right pass and break the press. So I think that if I have to run again, at least I’d prefer to run that 10 or 15 metres towards the goalkeeper, than I would run the 45 to 50 metres back towards my own goal.”
From Barcelona to the Ballon d’Or
Collective effort, more goals than ever, silverware… all roads now seem to lead in one direction. What about the Ballon d’Or? How important is it to him, and what would it mean? His answer is unequivocal. “For an individual trophy, there’s nothing better for a footballer,” he says. “It’s the Holy Grail of football. When you see all the legends who have won it, it’s exceptional.”
In the build-up to the Champions League final, many within the coaching staff – and even others around the club – would greet him with playful shouts about the award, almost as a way of pushing him, willing him on. “People would see me and call out my name, shouting ‘Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or!’” he smiles. “But to be honest, Luis Enrique, the staff and all the players were really focused on the team – especially on the Champions League final.”
In the build-up to the Champions League final, many within the coaching staff – and even others around the club – would greet him with playful shouts about the award, almost as a way of pushing him, willing him on. “People would see me and call out my name, shouting ‘Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or!’” he smiles. “But to be honest, Luis Enrique, the staff and all the players were really focused on the team – especially on the Champions League final.”
Dembele with the Champions League trophy (Image credit: Getty Images)
That night against Inter in Munich was historic: PSG’s first-ever Champions League title. Indeed, all four previous European Cup or Champions League finals in Munich had also produced a first-time European champion – Nottingham Forest in 1979, Marseille in 1993, Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and Chelsea in 2012.
Having won the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and France’s Super Cup last term, as well as adding 16 assists to his 35 goals, Dembele knows that potential recognition is no coincidence. “After a season like that – four titles, scoring, assisting – it is normal to be considered one of the favourites for the award,” he says.
Having won the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and France’s Super Cup last term, as well as adding 16 assists to his 35 goals, Dembele knows that potential recognition is no coincidence. “After a season like that – four titles, scoring, assisting – it is normal to be considered one of the favourites for the award,” he says.
You also sense that, for him, winning the Ballon d’Or would be the latest victory along the road for the young man who signed for Borussia Dortmund from Rennes, in May 2016, three days before his 19th birthday.
Asked how difficult it was to make that switch, Dembele says: “Well, it wasn’t easy, although I did have help. I spent six months as a professional at Rennes, then I left for Germany. But I was so well received, I was like part of a family at Borussia Dortmund. Thomas Tuchel, who I consider a father to me, welcomed me very well at the club.
I also had a ‘big brother’ at Dortmund, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who helped me enormously throughout my year. All that made my arrival in Dortmund so much easier.”
QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
IS OUSMANE DEMBELE THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD? No comment!
IS THE BALLON D’OR AN AWARD THE TOP PLAYERS WANT TO WIN? Yes.
DO YOU DREAM ABOUT WINNING THE BALLON D’OR? Yes.
IS LUIS ENRIQUE THE MANAGER YOU’VE LEARNED MOST FROM? Yes.
WHICH OTHER MANAGERS HAD A BIG INFLUENCE ON YOU? Thomas Tuchel, Xavi, Rolland Courbis.
WHICH PLAYERS HAVE YOU MOST ENJOYED PLAYING WITH? Lionel Messi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marco Reus, Sergio Busquets, Pedri.
WHO WOULD BE IN YOUR PERFECT FIVE-A-SIDE TEAM? WOULD YOU BE IN IT? Not me, I’m out! Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Samuel Umtiti, Sergio Busquets, Lionel Messi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
FOR YOU, WHO’S THE GREATEST PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME? Messi
Success at Dortmund meant that he arrived at Barcelona in August 2017 at a young age, still just 20, but carrying with him the fame and all the demands that come with being a star. Despite everything that happened during his time in Catalonia, he has still remained positive about his time with Barcelona, the team he so desperately wanted to enjoy success with.
“Yes, it was complicated, especially as I was coming to the club after just 18 months as a professional, with six months at Rennes and then a year at Dortmund,” he says. “You arrive at 20 years old in a locker room like Barcelona with all the stars, with all the players I dreamed of playing for… it was just exceptional.
Afterwards, you had to adapt. I wasn’t lucky for three or four years with injuries. When you could play, you had to adapt. When you couldn’t, you had to stay strong. But I was doing what I love and I was at the club of my dreams, Barcelona. It wasn’t easy, but after three or four years, things were much better.”
Taking the Ligue 1 title, part one of the Treble (Image credit: Unknown)
Contrary to rumours and speculation, spread primarily from media outlets loyal to the club, Dembele always enjoyed the respect and esteem of his Barça team-mates, many of whom were surprised and disappointed to see him sold to PSG. He always remained a bit of a mystery to his team-mates, but they appreciated his humour and that, basically, he was a good guy.
“I am happy with everything that happened at Barcelona, because that’s really where I grew as a person, both on the pitch and off it,” he explains.
“I also made a lot of friends in Barcelona, with whom I still talk a lot. So it was just an exceptional time for me and, above all, it was a time of learning.”
“I won’t stop eating burgers!”
Those who know him well – and they are a very select few – say the things that probably changed him most were when he married his girlfriend Rima at a Moroccan-style Muslim wedding in December 2021, followed by the birth of his daughter in September of the following year. The wedding came as a surprise to many of his team-mates, not least because they weren’t even aware that he had a partner.
Dembele is fiercely protective about his private life, particularly when it concerns his wife and young daughter. The quiet support and presence of his partner is generally believed to be one of the major reasons that these days, Dembele is able to display the calm and focus that has benefited him so much over the past few years, both on and off the pitch.
Above everything else, it made him take stock of what he needed to do now that he was a family man with responsibilities. During his last two seasons at Barcelona, essentially, he grew up. He worked at his home with a physiotherapist and frequently went to France to receive some specialised preventative treatments. With the eyes and mind of a father, he began to see everything differently.
I understood that I had to work, that I had to get stronger, that I had to eat well, sleep well.
Ousmane Dembele
Dembele finally took on board the importance of the right diet, and for the past few seasons, has employed a French nutritionist who has helped him maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Asked whether there was a ‘light bulb’ moment, when he realised something had to change if he was to fulfil his potential, he’s very clear. “Because I arrived at Barcelona with just a year and a half as a professional behind me, I didn’t go to the gym much, I went straight on to the pitch with a lot of energy – and some talent, too,” he says.
“After one injury, two, three, four injuries, you understand you have to take care of your body, that high-level football is demanding and it’s not just about talent, or waking up and going straight on to the pitch. You understand that anything can happen.
Dembele has learned to look after his body more (Image credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“I understood that I had to work, that I had to get stronger, that I had to eat well, sleep well. I understood all of that. And there you go, it’s paying off today at Paris Saint-Germain. I’m happy.”
These days he’s clearly comfortable in his own skin, and that’s important for any footballer. I ask him if that perhaps is the reason why he did not suffer serious injury either before or after his time with Barcelona, and how well he knows his body these days.
“Perfectly,” he says. “I know my body perfectly, how fast I should go, when I shouldn’t go. When I’m told not to go over 30km/h, I don’t go over 31; I stay at 30. I know when I’m tired, when I shouldn’t train, when I should train and when I need to strengthen myself, too. Now, for the past three or four years, I really know it by heart.”
Ousmane Dembele celebrates against Arsenal (Image credit: Aurelien Meunier – PSG/PSG via Getty Images)
What about burgers and pizzas? Are they just a distant memory? Something to look forward to when the curtain comes down on his career? Well, not quite.
“When I retire… what don’t I want to eat?” he says. “As for hamburgers and pizzas, there are always some after matches. Not all the time, but especially after games.
“All players eat hamburgers or pizzas after matches. I don’t eat too much chocolate, so it’s OK. But I still eat hamburgers and pizzas after games, and that’s not going to stop.”
Messi’s advice
Many footballers are good with both feet, but precious few can match the ambidextrous qualities displayed by the PSG forward – skills that make him so unpredictable and versatile.
The player himself struggles to fully explain the reason behind it. “Ever since I was little, I always preferred to drive forward with the ball using my left foot, but preferred to shoot with my right foot,” he says. “I know it’s weird, but that’s how it is.”
Liverpool witnessed the phenomenon to their cost in the Champions League penalty shootout at Anfield in March, when Dembele – having earlier scored the goal that made the tie all square on aggregate – initially lined up to take his spot kick with his supposedly stronger left foot. During the run-up, he quickly switched, opting instead to smash the ball into the net with his ‘weaker’ right foot.
BARCELONA, SPAIN – MARCH 14: Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona celebrates with Lionel Messi as he scores their second goal as Thibaut Courtois and N’Golo Kante of Chelsea look dejected during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC at Camp Nou on March 14, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) (Image credit: Getty Images)
“My shots are better with my right foot than my left foot,” is his somewhat matter-of-fact explanation as to why.
Ambidextrous players are rare, and while the trait is primarily neurological, it has been linked to some interesting personality and cognitive patterns. Research suggests they often exhibit greater cognitive flexibility, showing an ability to adapt very quickly to new situations or switch between tasks and perspectives with ease.
Their brains tend to be less lateralised, meaning both hemispheres are more equally active, which may contribute to a more balanced integration of both logic and intuition. Some studies also associate ambidexterity with higher levels of creativity and divergent thinking, plus a tendency towards non-conventional problem-solving. Does that sound like Ousmane Dembele, I ask?
Dembele with Joao Neves (left) and Desire Doue (right) at the Ballon d’Or 2025 (Image credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
“It’s possible, yes,” he says. “I perhaps come out with different solutions than others. On the pitch, I don’t really ask myself any questions. I tell myself that I have both feet and that’s fine. It’s very useful for me; I can switch quickly from one to the other or make the decision about which of them to use at the last second. But after that, it’s something that always needs to be worked on: the gestures, the training sessions, the matches, too. It’s something that needs to be worked on so I don’t lose it.”
There is, of course, one very important prerequisite. You also have to be a good footballer. “It’s good to be able to use both feet, but they both have to be good,” he admits. “If both feet are bad, it’s not the same thing.”
Dembele has been coached by some of the greatest managers in the history of the game and has also played – and continues to play – with some of its greatest players. Asked to name the players and managers who have had the most influence on him, in addition to Luis Enrique, he cites the importance of those who were there at vital stages of his development as a footballer.
Will I tell my daughter I played with Messi? I am already telling her now!
Ousmane Dembele
Rolland Courbis was the manager he flourished under at Rennes to earn his move to Dortmund, while Tuchel was there for him when he was young and alone in Germany. Despite all of his problems at Barcelona, he also cites Xavi as a major influence on him.
Then there’s also Marco Reus and his friend Aubameyang, who were both inspirations to him as team-mates at Dortmund, as was Sergio Busquets at Barcelona – and of course, Lionel Messi. “I had a very good relationship with Messi from the very first day,” he says.
Then there’s also Marco Reus and his friend Aubameyang, who were both inspirations to him as team-mates at Dortmund, as was Sergio Busquets at Barcelona – and of course, Lionel Messi. “I had a very good relationship with Messi from the very first day,” he says.
Dembele celebrates against Liverpool (Image credit: Getty Images)
“Whether he played as a number 10 or number nine, his positioning was exceptional, the way he seemed to make himself invisible on the pitch. Sometimes you don’t seem to see him for about four or five minutes, then as soon as he gets the ball, he instinctively knows what to do.
“Messi would know when Jordi Alba was going to double up front with him, when he was going to put the ball in. He understands football really well, positions himself very well on the pitch and you know – we all know – what he can do with his feet.”
I ask Dembele if one day, when his daughter grows up, he will tell her that he played with Messi. “I am already telling her now!” he smiles, even though she’s not even three years old yet.
Young BVB prospects: Guerreiro, Isak, Pulisic, Dembele (Image credit: Unknown)
For Dembele, is football a passion or a job? “It’s both,” he says. “But first of all, especially as a kid, it was a passion.”
I ask him to choose his perfect game – was it one played on the street perhaps, or the match in which he made his professional debut for Rennes against Angers in 2015? “The streets are just for fun,” he replies. “I think it was the first match I played professionally. The perfect match.”
That debut for Rennes was the first major step along a rocky road, but it’s one that ultimately seems destined to lead him to the Ballon d’Or.
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