Ousmane Dembélé: a precocious talent
With Ousmane Dembélé making his return to Ligue 1 this season after signing for Paris Saint-Germain, those who witnessed his rise tell us the story of a player with an atypical profile who would very quickly step into the limelight.
It was in Évreux, Normandy, that Ousmane Dembélé started out. Mathieu Bodmer, the then president of Évreux FC 27 despite still being a player, brought him to the club when Dembélé was just 11 years old. The former Paris midfielder was immediately impressed: "Everyone knew. When you see a player like that, it stands out so much; his talent was just extraordinary. I must have received 20 letters from French professional clubs. We knew that he wouldn't stay with us for long."
Grégory Badoche, Dembélé's manager at U10 level, also holds a lasting memory of him: "He was doing everything that you see on TV – the same stepovers, the same dummies – but with kids that were playing at regional level. We knew all too well that his career path had already been mapped out!"
Moustapha Diatta, Dembélé's childhood friend and former teammate at various clubs in Évreux, reiterated just how different he was to other players, even from a very young age: "He was our mascot, the only lad who was allowed to play with the older kids because he was capable of doing incredible things." Everyone knows about his talent, of course, but Diatta also emphasised Dembélé's desire to succeed: "His talent is innate, but he's worked hard. I think he's the most determined person that I know."
The man himself discussed his own work ethic: "I don't think that talent is everything. You also need to work hard and listen to instructions from youth coaches who have been around for a long time." It was Dembélé's talent, combined with his determination, that propelled him to football's highest level and to the club that he dreamt about as a child: "This really is the biggest club in France, and every young French player dreams about it. I came to the Parc des Princes several times to watch games, and playing for PSG was an aim of mine."
So far this season, Paris's no. 10 has notched up six assists and one goal on top of his incessant activity, which has already destabilised its fair share of defences, while his pace, dribbling and changes of direction are all qualities that football fans, as well as the capital club's fans in particular, will be hoping to see even more of during the second half of the campaign.