The Rise and Journey of Ousmane Dembélé

“He will do everything to make us win this match, he is vital for us.” When Vitinha spoke about Ousmane Dembélé on the eve of Arsenal-Psg, he probably expected him to score at the Emirates Stadium. It was easy to imagine given the 32 goals the French forward has scored this season. Let's see who is the player who can lead Luis Enrique's team to victory. Ousmane Dembélé was born on May 15, 1997 (he is 27 years old) in Vernon (France) to a Malian father and a Senegalese-Mauritanian mother. He grew up in Les Andelys, where as a child he first kicked a ball. He started with ALM Évreux and later with Évreux FC 27, before joining Rennes' youth academy in 2010. Dembélé made his debut with Rennes' first team in November 2015, scoring 12 goals in 26 matches in his first season, immediately standing out for his speed and dribbling. The following year, he transferred to Germany, with Borussia Dortmund paying 15 million euros. In his only season in the Bundesliga, he scored 10 goals and provided 21 assists in 49 matches, winning the German Cup. The following year, Barcelona paid 105 million euros plus bonuses, making it one of the most expensive transfers ever. In Catalonia, he won two Spanish championships (La Liga), two King's Cups, and two Spanish Super Cups. However, his six-year stay was heavily criticized, also marked by several injuries. In 2023, he was acquired by Paris Saint-Germain for 50 million euros. He has won two French championships (Ligue 1), a French Cup, and two French Super Cups. He debuted with France in September 2016. With the national team, he won the 2018 World Cup and participated in the 2020 and 2024 European Championships. Dembélé is very private about his personal life. In 2021, he married Rima Edbouche, a Moroccan influencer active on Tik Tok. The two met during his time at Rennes and in 2022, they had a daughter, but they have never disclosed her name. Currently, Ousmane Dembélé lives in Paris, where he plays for Paris Saint-Germain. Dembélé has 14 million followers on Instagram. On his profile @o.dembele7, he shares moments from his career as well as his personal life. Dembélé's career has been particularly plagued by injuries, so much so that according to the thematic site Transfermarkt.it, he has missed as many as 839 days for a total of 146 matches. In 2018, a case erupted at Barcelona when Dembélé did not show up for training due to a stomach ache, but in reality, he had stayed up all night with his friends playing video games and had not set an alarm. The player was benched, and then the club spoke with his agent to get him back on track. He was also assigned personal tutors to monitor his habits. He is a big fan of video games, with a passion for sports games like FIFA and competitive ones like Fortnite. Over time, he has worked on his lifestyle and improved his physical condition.