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Dembele on Bayern, fitness and Luis Enrique influence
- Ousmane Dembele is back to full fitness
- The Frenchman has become PSG's talisman under Luis Enrique
- PSG face Bayern München in the Club World Cup quarter-final on Saturday
Ousmane Dembele is back. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar confirmed his return from full fitness in a post-training media scrum on the eve of his team's FIFA Club World Cup™ quarter-final against FC Bayern München. "I feel 100 per cent,” said Dembele. “I've been training with the team for ten days. It's up to the coach to decide. I'm ready.”
The Frenchman played his first minutes in the Round of 16 against Inter Miami CF, coming on just after the hour in that contest.
The 28-year-old French winger has emerged as a leader for PSG, a team that finally conquered Europe through swashbuckling possession football and collective sacrifice. "That's what it means to lead a team," Luis Enrique said of Dembele amid PSG’s UEFA Champions League final celebrations. “Not just for the titles or the goals: above all for the way he defended today.”
Dembele had been destined for greatness since his emergence at Rennes. His performances there garnered attention from Europe’s biggest clubs, and after honing his craft at Borussia Dortmund, the Frenchman was bought by Barcelona. Dembele arrived at the Camp Nou at a complicated time, replacing the outgoing Neymar, who had just been sold to PSG. Unfortunately, he was never able to establish himself in the team due to inconsistent performances and recurring injuries.
In August 2023, the scene was repeated: Dembele was signed by PSG and received the 10 jersey that Neymar had left behind. After a first year in which he won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, the departure of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid saw him become the team's offensive focal point.
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With 33 goals scored in 50 games, Dembele was a pivotal figure in PSG’s treble-winning season in 2024/25. A candidate for every individual award on planet football, he finally fulfilled the potential he had set for himself.
"Dembele has always been a phenomenon,” said Luis Enrique in the run-up to the Club World Cup. “What happens is that you have to go deeper and deeper to get the best version of Ousmane. We have had to do and say difficult things. Ousmane is a leader, but a leader by example, not by words. Have you seen how he pressed? Tell me a nine in Europe who presses the goalkeeper and the centre-back like that. When you press like that as a leader, the rest just have to follow."
"I haven't always been like that," Dembele admitted to FIFA ahead of the Bayern clash. “But the coach has done a great job. I've shown my quality, I'm hungry and I always want to win."
Dembele's reflection is confirmation of the evident transformation he has undergone over the last campaign.
"The mentality at PSG is that we have to fight,” Dembele told the media. “Otherwise, you can't win titles. The most important thing is to focus on the team (against Bayern). Concentrate, set the rhythm, play our game. Defend well, because they are a formidable team. We have to play 100 per cent until the end.”
Dembele has always been supremely talented. Under Luis Enrique’s tutelage, he has recognised the importance of team spirit and the notion that in modern football, it is not enough to be unstoppable with the ball at your feet.
"As I have said many times, it's more about teamwork,” said Dembele. “The team helps me a lot to score goals and to provide assists. My good season is due to the group, but I do feel that I'm having a great season. I'm more decisive. It's thanks to my new role. The coach has always trusted me since the first day I arrived. I have his full confidence, and I'm trying to repay him on the pitch.”
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The Bayern Club World Cup showdown will be a special match for Dembele. The last time these two sides met, in November 2024, the German team won 1-0 and Dembele was sent off. "We have a little revenge to take,” said Dembele. “We know it will be a difficult game, but we are much stronger than we were in November. A lot has changed, the players have raised their level, and so have I. We have raised our level of play enormously. We know what we have to do on the pitch to beat any team."
