After the French winger led Paris Saint-Germain to their first-ever Champions League victory over Inter Milan, Lionel Messi’s evaluation of a young Ousmane Dembele has come back into focus. The 28-year-old was in terrific form and set up his teammates twice as they won 5-0, setting a new record, despite not scoring.
Despite never having been nominated for the Ballon d’Or before, Dembele has already established himself as the front-runner to win this year’s prize thanks to the European victory. Even though it has taken some time, it is safe to conclude that the forward has fulfilled the potential that he possessed as a teenager, which adds interest to Messi’s remarks made when he first joined Barcelona.
Messi’s Praise of Dembele Vindicated
The Argentine’s prediction may end up being spot on
After making an impression at Borussia Dortmund and Stade Rennais, Dembele, then 20 years old, would sign a huge £135.5 million contract to join Camp Nou in 2017. Things weren’t exactly going as planned by 2018, but Messi still supported the rising star, according to talkSPORT, saying:
“Dembele is a phenomenon on the field, and his level of skill determines his success. He has every chance in the world to pursue his goals. He’s capable of being among the finest. However, he is a young man who is getting used to the club and the city. You should talk about it as little as possible. He needs to be left alone in order to relax.
“He has previously acknowledged and fixed his errors. We will assist him in concentrating on football.
It never happened at Barcelona, but the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s declaration seems to be coming true now. Dembele only scored 40 goals in 185 games due to recurrent injuries and patchy play, never living up to expectations.
His fortunes have drastically changed under Luis Enrique when he moved to PSG in 2023. Despite playing fewer than half as many games, he is only one goal away from matching his total in Spain thanks to his outstanding season. At the Stade de Princes, he essentially took Messi’s position, and he has more than made up for the Argentine’s absence.
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