Everything You Wanted to Know About Ousmane Dembélé

Biography

Ousmane Dembélé is a French forward/winger for Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. He has gone from a breakthrough season at Rennes to becoming a player who won both the World Cup and the UEFA Champions League, and in 2025 — the Ballon d'Or as well.

Dembélé was born in Vernon (Normandy). He took his first steps in football in Évreux — first at ALM Évreux, then at Évreux FC 27. It quickly became clear that he possessed a rare combination of speed, fluid movement, and the ability to use both feet effectively.

Rennes: a meteoric rise in one season

In Rennes’ reserve team, Dembélé scored consistently, and in the 2015/16 season he broke into Ligue 1 and, within a year, became a national sensation. He scored a hat-trick, consistently delivered goal contributions, and at the end of the season received the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award.

Borussia Dortmund: a title and the status of a future star

In 2016, Dembélé moved to Borussia Dortmund. In his very first season, he won the German Cup — scoring in the final. During that same campaign, he was one of the team’s creative leaders and was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season, earning the “Rookie of the Season” award.

Barcelona: a mega transfer and years of expectations exceeding reality

In the summer of 2017, Barcelona signed Dembélé for €105 million plus bonuses — at the time one of the largest transfers in football history. He was given the No. 11 shirt, previously worn by Neymar, and arrived as the player expected to fill the attacking gap left by the Brazilian’s departure.

However, his period in Spain proved to be controversial. He won trophies with the club (multiple La Liga titles, Spanish Cups and Super Cups), but was constantly hindered by injuries: recurring muscle problems, long layoffs, comebacks and new setbacks. At times, he delivered brilliant flashes — Champions League goals, dramatic comebacks, solo runs — but Barcelona never fully saw a consistently available Dembélé.

PSG: returning home and the best season of his career

In 2023, Dembélé returned to France, signing with Paris Saint-Germain for €50.4 million. His first season was about adaptation, but in 2024/25 he delivered what many thought was no longer possible: an outstanding campaign that established him as the team’s key attacking figure.

Season statistics — 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 matches. PSG completed a continental treble, and Dembélé collected several major individual awards: Ligue 1 Player of the Year, Champions League Player of the Season, Ligue 1 top scorer and, ultimately, the 2025 Ballon d'Or. In the Champions League final, he provided two assists, and the club won the title with a dominant scoreline.

In 2025/26 he continued adding trophies (including the UEFA Super Cup), but the season was again interrupted by injuries — first a thigh muscle injury, then a calf problem.

France National Team

Dembélé made his debut for France in 2016. He is part of the generation that won the 2018 World Cup. At the 2022 World Cup, he was a starter and reached the final (France finished as runner-up). He also played at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024. In the Euro 2024 qualifiers, he scored in France’s biggest-ever victory (14–0), and at the tournament itself was named Man of the Match in the quarter-final against Portugal.

Personal Life

Dembélé is a practicing Muslim. In December 2021, he married a woman of Moroccan origin; the wedding took place in France in a traditional Moroccan style. In September 2022, the couple welcomed a daughter.

Within football circles, it was noted that after becoming a father, Dembélé noticeably “settled down” in his daily life and became more disciplined. Previously at Barcelona, he was often listed among the players with the largest fines for breaches of club discipline.

In July 2021, a video surfaced online showing Dembélé and Antoine Griezmann in a hotel room making racist comments toward Japanese technicians. The episode caused widespread controversy.

Interesting Facts

• Dembélé is one of the few footballers in history to have won the World Cup, the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or in his career.
• In the 2016/17 season, in the German Cup semi-final against Bayern, he recorded a goal and an assist, effectively deciding the match within minutes.
• At Barcelona, his contract release clause was set at €400 million.
• He is so confident with both feet that he can play on either wing and as an attacking midfielder, and at PSG he was regularly used closer to goal.
• In 2024/25, he set a record for the most goal contributions by a French club player in a single Champions League season (12).
• At PSG, he initially wore the No. 23 shirt but later received the No. 10 after Neymar’s departure.