One of the exits from FC Barcelona this summer that is likely to impact the club the most was that of Ousmane Dembele. The French winger had been one of the most trusted players for Xavi in the club’s attacking line, and his departure has significantly weakened this core area of the team.
Dembele’s time at Barcelona was not always pleasant, as the winger struggled to pay off the huge investment made by the Catalans in him. He spent a significant time of his Barcelona career on the sidelines as he was frequently injured, and started finding consistent form only in his last seasons.
Dembele misses mentioning Barcelona
Thus, Barcelona had to remain patient with the player, and helped him get his form back after these setbacks. However, the Frenchman forgot to mention these contributions of the Catalan club towards his career, as he recently commented: “The French national team is the team where I have learned the most.”
It is unclear whether this lack of recognition of Barcelona sprang from a cognitive or an affective source, but it cannot be doubted that Barcelona has played a clear role in helping the Frenchman get back to a good form.
Deschamps had already recognised Barcelona’s contributions
As Mundo Deportivo has noted, the French national team manager, Didier Deschamps, has already recognized the role played by Barcelona in helping Dembele:
“[Dembele] “has improved with the day-to-day demands at Barcelona; we see him as better, more mature, and more developed.”
Previously, even Deschamps had been critical of Dembele as he forced his way out of Borussia Dortmund to join Barcelona. The national team coach publicly criticized Dembele for his behavior in 2017, and even temporarily expelled him from the national team.
However, as Dembele has returned to France this summer, he will be looking once again to get back to his best, this time with PSG, where he will be leading the attack with his compatriot Kylian Mbappe.
Deschamps will also be hoping that these two can develop a healthy chemistry on the pitch, and replicate this even for the French team for the important competitions coming ahead.
