Dembele reveals he learned to take care of himself at Barcelona

During the six seasons that Ousmane Dembele spent at Barcelona, he never enjoyed enough continuity to have a full season without injury problems. There were even seasons such as 19-20, in which he only took the field 9 times. Now, he is in his first year at PSG, who paid €50 million to the 'Cules' to compensate, to some extent, for the €105 million paid to Borussia Dortmund in 2017.

Ahead of the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, the winger spoke to 'Le Parisien' and told them what he has learned from his time in Spain so that, at least for the moment, his physicality has not stifled his talent in Paris: "I arrived in Barcelona at the age of 20 in a process of apprenticeship. It is the place where I grew the most in my personal and professional life. I suffered a lot there, I went through some very difficult times".

"Then, little by little, as the years went by, everything got better. It's the logical development of a young professional player who, over the years, has changed a lot of things. It helped me a lot. I still have it with me here in Paris. We did a lot of prevention and a lot of hard work. Barcelona is a very big club, we know that. But PSG is also a huge club, I see it on and off the pitch. Honestly, apart from the weather, for me, there are no big changes," he said.

"The same goes for the stadium: the Camp Nou is huge and full of history. But, at the Parc des Princes, the atmosphere is exceptional. At every game, the fans carry us in their arms. I'm a person who enjoys life, but I also know how to be serious when I have to be. I'm not trying to play a role, I'm still myself. What Luis Enrique says about us getting better this month? I'm convinced of that too," he also commented.

"The nature of our relationship is more or less the same, yes. I had an amazing time with Xavi, we were very close. He gave me a lot of advice and had a lot of confidence in me. I've known Luis Enrique for a long time, as he wanted me to come to Barcelona when I was at Rennes. I'm very happy to have him as a coach. He's quiet, he makes jokes and when he has to talk seriously, he does. But he's not closed-minded, he's close to his players, he gives a lot of advice and often goes into detail to improve.

Focusing again on his adaptation to PSG, he remarked: "I never doubted myself or my abilities. I knew I was going to come back very strong. Some players are exceptional as soon as they arrive and others need time. At Dortmund, I made my breakthrough straight away, and at Barcelona, it was little by little. In Paris, it's a bit the same, with fewer injuries. Today, I feel like I've finally found myself. I'm on the right track, but I want to give even more, to be even more different.

 

February 13, 2024