The keys to Dembélé Metamorphosis

New Year, New Life. It knows well Ousmane Dembélé (27), which, after a start of the season with the occasional conflict with Luis Enrique in Paris, has given way to 2025 in which he has become a roller. Since December 15, he adds 18 goals in 12 games: eleven in Ligue 1, six in the Champions and one in the Super Cup. Pure boiling. What Luis Enrique was looking for from the beginning. And Xavi. And Koeman. And Valverde. All, during the six years in which the extreme was in Barcelona prior payment of 105 million euros to Borussia Dortmund. But it has been now. Today, the PSG must hide in its stadium against the Brest (21.00 h) the pass to the eighth of the Champions League. Part with a 0-3 of the first leg with two goals, who if not, the new demo.

The inflection point was marked by Mbappé’s decision, which wanted to leave yes or yes to Madrid. “Luis Enrique met him. And he told him that, after a year of adaptation with six goals among all competitions, he had to step forward. Stop being the best pin to become the team’s scorer, ”says sources from the player’s environment.

After Mbappé’s departure

Luis Enrique asked the player to step on this course

But so far, the French end had stood out more for its failures for goal than for its successes. Also for the controversies. On October 1, the player was out of the call for the Champions League match against Arsenal for “problems between the player and his obligations with the team.” Two things happened. First, Dembélé was late for a training. Luis Enrique, very demanding, punishes players with economic or sports sanctions.

In fact, one of the novelties that the Asturian incorporated when he landed on the bench of the PSG is that the players must sign upon arrival in the sports city to control their punctuality. Breakfast and eat all together. The training starts promptly at 9 am.

The numbers

Since December 15, the Frenchman adds 18 goals in twelve games; In total, this year has 23 goals

But something else happened. “Luis Enrique threw the anger in front of everyone because he did not face. Dembélé lost his nerves. He got up and replied screaming, ”they tell from the player’s environment, adding that he was insisted to apologize.

“The best thing I did was not put it in London. Everything else did it with his teammates, his qualities and his trust, ”said a Luis Enrique who already loved him in his last year in Barça. Until now, the best Dembélé record in a season had been in 2018-2019 when, with Barça, he scored 14 goals among all competitions. In this, surpassed Ecuador, has seen door 23 times in 29 games.

The key to change has been found by Luis Enrique himself. Since December, he decided to bet on Dembélé as a center striker surrounded by two ends such as Kvarathskhelia, Désiré Doué, Barcola or Lee Kang-in.

But there is more. This 2025 is the goal of a process that began in Barça. It was in the last stage with Koeman and especially with Xavi when Dembélé began to improve his habits. He hired Ghaidi, physical trainer, Jean Baptiste Duault, Physiotherapist, and Anthony Audebaud, cook. The first had always worked with athletes. The second is also the exfisiotherapist of the French athletics team. Finally is Audebaud, owner of a private chefs agency for elite athletes called Tailor Made Cuisine. All are French. Everyone left with the player to Paris.

The striker, who had some mishap with his coach, lives a comfortable and quiet life with his wife and daughter whom he affectionately calls “the Catalan”

Outside the countryside, Dembélé likes to spend time at home. He has his parents in Évreux, an hour from Paris, and visited them regularly. He lives in Neuilly-Sur-Seine, with his wife and daughter Aisha. “My daughter is Catalan,” he tells everyone. Remembering that he was born in Barcelona. Look more football matches than before. And he is pending of Barça, who does not want to cross again this year at the Champions League after scoring and celebrating his goal in Montjuïc last year in front of Xavi’s noses, the coach who did the most for him.

Of the PSG, with whom he signed until 2027, he gets especially well with Hakimi. Also with the Spaniards. And, according to their environment, young people love him very much. It has already happened in Barça. In fact, the summer in which he decided to leave for Paris, on the Blaugrana tour in the United States, ended fifth ahead of Lewandowski in the vote to choose captains.

His departure from Barcelona hurt. Especially Xavi Hernández, who always defended him. “It can be the best extreme in the world,” insisted the then coach. The 185 matches played by the 115 games lost by injury since they arrived at Camp Nou did not matter. Xavi squeezed to play again when he was separated from the pitch because he did not want to renew. And transformed the public image of French.

Read too

The serial ended with Dembélé renewing until 2024. It was not fulfilled. The PSG arrived. And, on that same tour in which he almost becomes a captain, Dembélé closed his deal with Luis Enrique. “I didn’t expect it. I am disappointed. But the proposal made in Paris is totally out of our reach, ”Xavi explained.

The young

Some Barcelona players voted for him to be the summer who decided to leave for Paris

By the way. Barça stayed with 35 of the 50 million of the clause that paid the PSG and did not pay the 10 million renewal commission to the French agent, Moussa Sissoko. Mateu Alemany, the then soccer director, refused because he considered that they had not complied with what was agreed in the contract. A year later, without Mateu Alemany in the Sports Commission, Sissoko has sued Barça, who presented allegations. Both parties expect date. Or for conciliation or for trial.