Ousmane Dembélé : 'Achieve great things together'

HEllo Ousmane AND WELCOME TO Paris Saint-Germain! HOW DOES IT FEEL TO SIGN HERE?

"I am very happy. I am very proud to have joined a top club like Paris Saint-Germain. I can't wait to discover the Parc des Princes, and train with my new teammates.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOUR CHOICE TO JOIN PARIS?

"The conversations with the coach. For me, having trust is vital for a footballer. I also spoke with the Sporting Director and the President. I spoke with them and they really explained the project at Paris Saint-Germain and I was impressed. It's very exciting and I hope that we are going to achieve great things together. 

YOU SEEM TO BE FULLY BEHIND THE COACH'S PHILOSOPHY?

"Yes, and I like the way he wants to play. We know it, we know that he is obsessed with possession, we know he likes to play attacking football and that's a perfect fit for me.

IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE ALWAYS FOLLOWED Paris Saint-Germain, EVEN BEFORE SIGNING for the club…

"Yes it's true. I came back in 2014 to watch a match from the Tribune Auteuil. It was a Champions League match against Malmö. And of course, as someone from France, from Evreux, I always watched Paris, and I have always spoken about Paris Saint-Germain. And now, I thought to myself that it's the time to come here, to Paris, in France, back home. I have lots of friends here, I have my family, so for me, it was important to come back."

What are your objectives here? 

"Of course first and foremost, it's to win trophies and to make the supporters and the city proud and to go as far as possible in the Champions League. I don't like to speak too much about myself personally, but I hope to score lots of goals, pick up lots of assists and make the supporters happy. And I am also coming here to learn. I think that in football, you learn every day. Even though at 26 years old, I have already gained in maturity and life experience."

WE LIKE YOUR MATURITY, bUT YOUR FRIVOLITY IS ALSO PART OF YOU! Is THAT ALSO SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL BE LOOKING TO BRING IN THE DRESSING ROOM?

"Yes, outside of the dressing room, I am always in good spirits. I like teasing everybody. Everybody knows me for that. So yes, I will try to bring my zest for life to the rest of the squad."

And what a place to work, with the newly inaugurated Campus PSG. How did you feel when you arrived?

"I had already seen a video of it, and it had impressed me. It's a really nice training ground. Everything has been put in place to ensure we are in excellent conditions. I think that will help us to perform even better."

You're back in Ligue 1, where you played just one season with Rennes... What memories do you have of that?

"I remember a very good league. I played for seven or eight months with Stade Rennais and enjoyed the league enormously. Now I'm back in France, in a league that has changed a lot since then. So I'm obviously very happy to be back in Ligue 1 and I hope I can win my first title with Paris Saint-Germain.

Having experienced the Bundesliga and then La Liga, your outlook MUST have changed too...

"The Bundesliga was very physical, Spain a little more tactical, but France is a physical league with some very good teams that have improved a lot. We're going to have to be strong and get straight into it. I'm coming here with a lot of thirst. I know the league, I watch it regularly and I know a lot of the players who play in it. I'm not going to feel out of place in this league."

IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE REALLY READY FOR THE NEW SEASOn!

"Yes, I'm ready. I'm excited. I hope to join up with the squad very quickly and to be able to play. Physically too, I'm feeling good. I did the whole pre-season with Barcelona, then I trained this last week. I feel ready for the challenge. I've been looking forward to getting out on the pitch, training and getting to know all my team-mates for several weeks now."

Paris is also a city of PASSIONATE PEOPLE, where people love THE fantasy, madness and beautiful SKILL. And we get the impression that this suits you WELL, as you like to have so much fun on the pitch...

"Yes, exactly. Above all else, I'm passionate about football. I like to please the fans who come to the stadium. I like to bring joy, I like to dribble and get the crowds going. And Paris is all about that!"

DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE SUPPORTERS?

"I want to thank everyone who has sent me so many messages on social media over the last few weeks. I need your trust in me. I'm going to try to give it back to you on the pitch." 

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