Last Tuesday evening, after Paris Saint-Germain concluded a convincing 3-0 victory against Brest in their launch phase of the UEFA Champions League at first glance in Guingamp, Ousmane DembéléWho had just scored a splint in the game, was still a little grumpy. When I came across him right next to the PSG locker room, there was no smile on his face despite having scored 18 goals in his last 12 appearances, even without scoring against Toulouse on Saturday after a cameo in second mid- time.
Why the grumpy then? VitinhaWho was next to him, teasing him a little for his behavior. It turns out that Dembélé was not too happy because he missed some chances. “I should have scored four,” he told some of his teammates.
No one in the locker room of PSG, failed to win the winner of the 2018 World Cup for having missed two chances in the second half of the match, one of them going just and the other suffocated by Brest Keeper Marco Bizot. After all, his teammates know too well that he is their X-Factor.
“It’s incredible to have it in this form for us,” Vitinha told Espn after Tuesday’s victory. “He’s incredible right now, and we have always known he had it in him.”
This is the new Dembélé for you. The past versions would not have been too concerned about the missing chances. He was (and is still sometimes) a winger, and the wingers are historically on the ground to obtain assists (which he also does very well), so as not to mark. Now things are different. In PSG of Luis Enrique, the most form in Europe at the moment and among the most entertaining, Dembélé plays as no. 9. A false nine, of course, but which must mark. And my boy, he’s just doing that.
A quick review of its breathtaking figures:
• 10 goals (two hat laps and two hinds) in four games over 15 days, before Toulouse. The maximum Lionel Messi The score in a four -game period is 16 years old in 2013. Cristiano RonaldoIs the best? 12
• 15 goals in nine matches since the beginning of 2025, more than any other player in Europe
• 18 goals since the beginning of December 2024, more than any other player in Europe
• He has more goals in 2025 (15 games in 9) than in 2024 (13 games in 42)
• scored at least one goal in eight consecutive games for the fifth time in the history of PSG after Carlos Bianchi, Kylian Mbappé And Neymar twice
• Very first PSG player to score in the first eight games of a calendar year. The previous record was five
• First player in the Big 5 leagues since Sergio Aguero in 2018 to score at least 15 goals in the first two months of a calendar year
• 29 goals and help 29 games in all competitions this season
Does one of all this mean that Dembélé is the best player in the world right now? The team seriously asked the question on Wednesday, and it seems premature. You can say that the teams against which they have marked during this impressive race are not the best, but still: you cannot beat what is in front of you. And to be fair, Lyon, Manchester City, Stuttgart, Monaco (twice) are not men.
Anyway, if you assess the level of opponent of Dembélé or not, if you think that the players of PSG joke that he can win the Ballon d’Or if he continues like that, the main question ( And the only question) remains: How did it get here? What transformed it into a goal machine?
Luis Enrique said in a joking Wednesday that we should ask France to transmit what “he had for dinner at Christmas” to perhaps explain his transformation. More seriously, the PSG manager also addressed an interesting point.
In October, Dembélé was not chosen in the team that went to London to play Arsenal in the Champions League after having disagreed with his coach on one of his decisions.
“The best thing I did with Ousmane was to drop him for this match, for which you criticized me,” said Luis Enrique during his press conference on Friday. “Because then the rest, he did it himself, with his teammates and his team, with his confidence and his talent.”
The incident had a positive impact on the 27 -year -old player. He had a long conversation with Luis Enrique in the days that followed, and the manager also started playing it more like a false 9, using it between the lines, closer to the goal and more in the box. At the time, efficiency in front of the goal was still not there, then Dembélé worked hard to improve its finish. He did a lot of additional shooting exercises after training, a lot of video analysis and visualization of what he was doing or not to do when he had a chance.
At this stage of the season, it is the world of Dembélé and we live there. He will not score two goals per game each week, of course, but for the moment, he walks on the water because his hard work has paid off.
Let’s see how long a long time can stay at this level.
