‘We realized he was exceptional’… Ousmane Dembele remembers his first impressions of young Barcelona star | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have had a very successful 2024-25 season, in which they were among the very best teams in Europe. The Catalans translated their good performances on the pitch into silverware as well, as they won the La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup titles, and also came quite close to getting to the final of the UEFA Champions League.

Several players stood out for the Blaugranes, but most of the glory was shared by the two forwards, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal. Both of them are among the favorites to win the next Ballon d’Or because of their performances in the last season.

Ousmane Dembele remembers Lamine Yamal

However, they will be facing another very strong contender for this prize, i.e., the former Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele, who won everything with his Paris Saint-Germain side and was one of the stand-out players for the French team.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Frenchman recently appeared in an interview and talked about the Blaugrana winger Lamine Yamal.

Dembele has already trained with the youngster and commented on how he was already an exceptional talent at a very young age:

“They were already talking about him from a very young age in Barcelona. When he reached the professional team, we realized he was exceptional and reached another level. In training, he would dribble, assist, and score.”

PSG forward Ousmane Dembele. [Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images]

Changes since leaving Barcelona

The French forward went on to talk about how he has changed since leaving Barcelona:

“Now I’m a bit more professional. I was already professional, but now I’m a little more so. Even on rest days, I like going to the training center, recovering, working with the physios. Before, I’d go home, play NBA 2K, watch some TV. I was also younger — it’s normal.

But in the end, you pay a high price for that, and I especially saw it in Barcelona. I arrived there young, played from age 20 to 26, had a lot of physical problems. I learned a lot — it helped me. Now I know my body much better, and that’s why I get injured less. I know when I’m feeling good, but also when I need to slow down, pace myself in training.”

There is no doubt that Ousmane Dembele has improved a lot since leaving Barcelona, and this is quite evident from the season he has had at PSG. Meanwhile, the Blaugranes themselves have not missed him too much, as Lamine Yamal has taken over as the star forward, and it remains to be seen which of these players will get the Ballon d’Or award this year.