Ousmane Dembélé: 'A great football match'
In an interview with UEFA, the Paris Saint-Germain forward talked about meeting his former club in the UEFA Champions League and the steps that have led him to the French capital.
Ousmane, you've got a big game coming up on Wednesday. How are you approaching the match?
"I'm rather calm naturally, and it's the same before big games. Before big matches, and especially in the Champions League, there's a little more pressure, because the margin for error is really very small. We want to win, and the best thing to do is to stay calm despite the pressure."
Is that the same for the whole team?
"Of course, with my teammates, we talk a lot, we discuss a huge amount before big games. And when the game is coming up, we're focused, we work even harder, but we know how to handle the pressure around big occasions."
How do you look at your career so far?
"Between 20 and 26, you change a lot. Life changes, everything evolves, and you also have to change. You become an adult, and you face many more responsibilities, in both your professional and personal life. I have experienced a huge amount of things, whether it be in Barcelona or in Paris since this summer. All of that teaches you to mature, and become even more calm and focused. I think that I'm still the same deep down, but with more maturity today, that's for sure."
Paris vs. Barcelona has got to be a special game for you...
"Absolutely! I'm very happy to be able to play Barcelona. I know that it'll be a really great game of football."