Ousmane Dembélé facts for kids
.jpg)
Dembélé with France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 May 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Vernon, France | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Winger | ||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Paris Saint-Germain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2009 | Madeleine Évreux | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Évreux | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | Rennes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Rennes II | 22 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Rennes | 26 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Borussia Dortmund | 32 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2023 | Barcelona | 127 | (24) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Paris Saint-Germain | 42 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | France U17 | 8 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | France U18 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | France U19 | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | France U21 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | France | 53 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
|||||||||||||||||||
† Appearances (Goals). |
|||||||||||||||||||
Masour Ousmane Dembélé (born 15 May 1997) is a French professional footballer. He plays as a winger for the French club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team.
Dembélé started his career at Rennes in France before moving to Borussia Dortmund in Germany in 2016. He helped Dortmund win the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) in the 2016–17 season. A year later, he joined Barcelona in Spain for a very large fee, becoming one of the most expensive players at that time. With Barcelona, Dembélé won many titles, including three La Liga championships. In 2023, he returned to France to play for Paris Saint-Germain.
Ousmane Dembélé has also played for the French national team since 2016. He was part of the squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He also played in UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup (where France finished second), and UEFA Euro 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Dembélé was born in Vernon, Eure, a town in Normandy, France. His family has roots in Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali. He began playing football in Évreux, a nearby city, first at ALM Évreux and then at Évreux FC 27 when he was 12 and 13 years old.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Rennes
Dembélé first played for Rennes' reserve team on 6 September 2014. He quickly showed his talent, scoring 13 goals in 18 games in his first season. This included scoring three goals in one game (a hat-trick) in May 2015.
On 6 November 2015, Dembélé made his first team debut for Rennes in Ligue 1, France's top league. He scored his first goal for the team on 22 November. On 6 March 2016, he scored his first Ligue 1 hat-trick in a big 4–1 win against Nantes. Rennes' sports director, Mikaël Silvestre, even compared Dembélé to superstar Cristiano Ronaldo because of his amazing talent at a young age.
Moving to Borussia Dortmund
.jpg)
On 12 May 2016, Dembélé signed a five-year contract with the German club Borussia Dortmund. He made his debut for Dortmund on 14 August. On 20 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 win against VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. He also scored his first Champions League goal on 22 November.
Dembélé was a key player for Dortmund. On 26 April 2017, he scored the winning goal in the DFB-Pokal semi-final against Bayern Munich. In the final on 27 May, he scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt. This win helped Dortmund lift their first major trophy in five years. After this great season, Dembélé was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season.
Time at Barcelona
On 25 August 2017, the Spanish club Barcelona announced they would sign Dembélé. The transfer fee was around €105 million, plus extra payments. This made him one of the most expensive football players ever at that time. Barcelona set his release clause (the amount another club would have to pay to buy him) at €400 million. He took the number 11 shirt, which was previously worn by Neymar.
First Season and Winning Trophies
Dembélé played his first game for Barcelona on 9 September 2017. He helped set up a goal in a 5–0 win. However, he faced some injuries during his first season. Despite this, he scored his first goal for Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League against Chelsea on 14 March 2018. He also scored his first two goals in a single game for Barcelona on 9 May 2018. In his first season, Dembélé helped Barcelona win both the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) and the La Liga title.
Winning More Titles
On 12 August 2018, Dembélé scored the winning goal against Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup, helping Barcelona win their 13th title. He continued to score important goals in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. One of his most memorable goals was a solo effort against Tottenham Hotspur in December 2018, where he ran past several defenders before scoring. His manager praised his talent after this goal. He finished the season with 14 goals, helping Barcelona win another La Liga title.
Dealing with Injuries
Dembélé faced several injuries during his time at Barcelona, especially with his hamstring. These injuries sometimes kept him off the field for long periods. Despite this, he continued to contribute when he played. In the 2021–22 season, he was the top player for assists (setting up goals) in La Liga, with thirteen assists. On 14 July 2022, Dembélé extended his contract with Barcelona until 2024.
Joining Paris Saint-Germain
On 12 August 2023, Dembélé joined the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a contract until June 2028. The fee for this transfer was €50.4 million. He was given the number 10 jersey after Neymar left the club.
Dembélé made his PSG debut on 20 August. On 24 September, he provided his first assist for PSG in a big 4–0 win against Marseille. He scored his first goal for the club on 24 November in a 5–2 victory over Monaco. In April 2024, he scored his first Champions League goal for PSG against his former club Barcelona. He also scored in the second leg of that match, helping PSG reach the semi-finals and earning the player of the match award.
International Career with France
Dembélé was first called up to the senior France squad in August 2016. He made his debut on 1 September 2016. On 13 June 2017, Dembélé scored his first goal for France in a friendly match against England.
On 17 May 2018, Dembélé was chosen for France's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. France went on to win the World Cup, beating Croatia 4–2 in the final. Dembélé was part of this winning team.
He also played for France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. France reached the final but finished as runner-ups. Dembélé started the final match. On 18 November 2023, Dembélé scored a goal in France's record-breaking 14–0 win over Gibraltar during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. He was also named man of the match in France's quarter-final victory against Portugal at UEFA Euro 2024.
How Ousmane Dembélé Plays
Dembélé is known as a winger, which means he plays on the sides of the field. He is very good with both feet, which makes him hard for defenders to predict. He uses his amazing speed, quickness, and agility to get past opponents. He is also excellent at dribbling and can create chances for his teammates or score goals himself.
His former captain at Barcelona, Andrés Iniesta, praised Dembélé for his ability to change a game. He is also good at crossing the ball into the box and is very creative when he has the ball. His fast runs make him a big threat during counterattacks. In 2019, Barcelona's president even said Dembélé was "better than Neymar", another famous player.
Personal Life
Ousmane Dembélé is a Muslim. He got married in December 2021 in a traditional Moroccan ceremony in France. He and his wife welcomed a daughter in September 2022.
Honours and Awards
Borussia Dortmund
- DFB-Pokal: 2016–17
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23
- Copa del Rey: 2017–18, 2020–21
- Supercopa de España: 2018, 2023
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2023–24
- Coupe de France: 2023–24
- Trophée des Champions: 2023, 2024
France
- FIFA World Cup: 2018; runner-up: 2022
Individual Awards
- Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2015–16
- UNFP Player of the Month: March 2016
- UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2016
- Bundesliga Rookie of the Season: 2016–17
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2016–17
- VDV Newcomer of the Season: 2016–17
- La Liga top assist provider: 2021–22
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2023–24
- Ligue 1 top assist provider: 2023–24 (joint)
Orders
Images for kids
-
Dembélé with France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
-
Dembélé playing for Rennes in 2015
-
Dembele training with Borussia Dortmund in 2017
-
Dembélé playing for Barcelona in 2018
-
Dembélé after winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France
