Ousmane Dembele: From Barcelona's €148m transfer flop to PSG's Ballon d'Or favourite on the verge of Champions League final glory
Around the turn of the year, Ludovic Giuly pointed out how lucky Ligue 1 was to have a player like Ousmane Dembele. "He is an incredible dribbler, who has both quick feet and great pace," the former Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain ace told Telefoot.
However, Giuly acknowledged that for all of Dembele's exciting attributes, the Paris Saint-Germain attacker's end product often left a lot to be desired. "If he was better at finishing," the retired winger said, "he could be one of the great players in Ligue 1. And, even more importantly, claim the Ballon d'Or."
Six months on, though, that's exactly the position Dembele finds himself in - because one of the game's great unfulfilled talents hasn't just sorted out his finishing this year, he's also finally got his head together...
'The boy is special'
Dembele has always had all of the ability in the world. Former Rennes sporting director Mikael Silvestre described him as the most naturally gifted teenager he'd seen since his time playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United; former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel said it was a pleasure to watch Dembele show off his "amazing skills" in training on a daily basis; Martin Braithwaite was simply blown away by the Frenchman when he joined Barcelona in 2020.
"I have never seen someone with his talent. I'm serious!” the Dane told Tot Costa. "Leo Messi is something else but, after him, I haven't seen any player like Dembele. The boy is special."
Even Messi described Dembele as "a phenomenon on the field". The problem was that he was a disaster off it.
No structure around him'
Even accounting for the fact that he was just a teenager when he arrived in Spain, Dembele has admitted himself that he wasted five years of his career at Barcelona due to his total lack of professionalism. He was repeatedly late for team meetings, with his tardiness attributed to his fondness for playing video games until the early hours of the morning, while his diet was a disgrace for a professional athlete. One source told GOAL of countless fast-food cartons found at his house, while a healthy fish dish prepared by his former chef had been discarded.
"It's a messy life," Michael Naya told Le Parisien. "I've never seen alcohol, but he doesn't respect the rest periods at all. There's no structure around him."
Dembele, thus, inevitably struggled for both form and fitness for almost the entirety of his time at Barca. "It's clear that if you don't work, you can't enjoy football," Dembele later admitted to Mundo Deportivo, "because you're not going to play much and you're going to get injured."
Turning his back on Barca
However, even when Dembele was fully fit, he still struggled to justify Barcelona's continued faith in him. He remained a confusing character.
Andres Iniesta was clearly correct when he said that the Frenchman had "genius in his feet", but it was always difficult to work out what was going on in his head. Club president Joan Laporta repeatedly defended Dembele in public, insisting that he deserved "special treatment" because he was such a gifted player. However, despite being given countless chances to prove himself, Dembele effectively betrayed Barcelona by joining PSG in the summer of 2023.
"It hurts me because I think we have taken great care of him here," then-coach Xavi admitted.
Lack of commitment'
It was also a disastrous deal for Barca from a financial perspective. They had ended up paying Dortmund a staggering €148 million (£124m/$168m) for Dembele - yet they only recouped half of the €50m (£42m/$57m) buy-out clause activated by PSG, as the player was entitled to the other €25m (£21m/$28m) under the terms of the agreement. Barca had also tried to convince Dembele to extend his contract before departing - but to no avail.
"I like good players, but I prefer committed players," Laporta advisor Enric Masip sniped in an interview with SPORT. "Dembele had already demonstrated his lack of commitment when he did not renew.
"It's very easy to kiss the crest when you score a goal or sell smoke on social media. It's legitimate to want to earn more, but when you are committed, you don't look at the money and you don't say one thing one day, and another the next. So, I'd rather play a kid from La Masia or with Raphinha, who gives his all in every training session, than someone who gives you a performance of 9/10 and a 3/10 the next day.
Dembele dropped
There was, however, a feeling at the time that Barca would be better off without such a frustratingly inconsistent player. The nature of Dembele's departure definitely stung, but the common consensus in Catalunya was that he was PSG's problem now. And it was one that the Parisians took a long while to work out.
As recently as September, it still felt as if Dembele simply wasn't disciplined or determined enough to make the most of his natural talent. He had scored just three Ligue 1 goals in his first season at Parc des Princes, and although he had made a bright starter to his second, Luis Enrique felt he was left with no option but to omit the forward from his squad for the Champions League clash with Arsenal on October 1.
The Spaniard refused to explain precisely why Dembele had been dropped, stating only that "if someone doesn’t comply or respect the expectations of the team, it means they are not prepared to play". However, it all felt very similar to the kind of unprofessional antics that dogged Dembele's stint at Barcelona, and there was even talk that the spat might spell the end of his top-level career.
As it transpired, it was a turning point.
Genius' change of role
Dembele found some form towards the tail end of December. Since the turn of the year, though, he's been nothing short of magnificent. No player across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues has been directly involved in more goals in 2025 than Dembele (31), who has scored 25 himself - which is just the most remarkable haul for a player who only netted 24 times in total during six seasons in Spain.
A "genius" change of position has proven pivotal to the transformation, with even Luis Enrique taken aback by just how well moving Dembele into a central role has worked out for PSG.
"Whereas last season we saw him start from the wing, now we see him acting more as a No.9, and it is something that we all benefit from and that we are all happy with," the Spaniard told RMC Sport. "But what is surprising is his constant movement in the penalty area. He is always where he needs to be, he is then able to receive a ball and score with one touch."
The net result is that Kylian Mbappe's goals haven't been missed at all this season - and PSG's all-time leading scorer isn't in the least bit disappointed by the fact. On the contrary, Mbappe's delighted for his former team-mate, and old friend.
"I'm his No.1 supporter," the Real Madrid attacker said of Dembele in an interview with L'Equipe. "I've known his qualities since we were 14. I also think he's had a mental breakthrough which means he's more relaxed in front of goal. He's a top player!" Maybe even the best in the world right now.
