Ousmane Dembélé has managed to make a name for himself and succeed as one of today’s best soccer players, standing out above other stars and currently holding the Ballon d’Or.
His talent had been evident since his time at Stade Rennes, where he spent a season alongside Colombian Juan Fernando Quintero, who didn’t hesitate to praise him and even compared him to Lionel Messi.
Juanfer bows down to Dembélé
While the Colombian was taking his first steps abroad and the Frenchman was just starting his career, they crossed paths during the 2015-16 season at Rennes. Recalling how he saw him back then, Quintero revealed in an interview on his YouTube channel ‘JF10TV‘:
“I arrived in Rennes on the last day of the transfer window, and about two weeks later, we were called to a meeting. A slender young man walked in and greeted me. Pedro Henrique told me, ‘Watch out, this kid is a star…’ I wondered who he could be...,” recounted the former River Plate player (via SER). “I’ve never seen anyone as talented as Dembélé. In training, he left everyone in the dust, and I wondered, ‘Who is this kid?’ He was flying. It was impressive,” he continued, expressing his admiration for his former teammate.
A few seconds later, clearly intent on continuing to praise Dembélé, Juanfer compared him to the star of Argentine soccer, whom many consider the greatest soccer player of all time:
I’ve seen Messi, of course, but Ousmane… At 17 years old, striking the ball like that with both feet, with so much personality-it was impossible. I’d get home thinking, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this; this kid is crazy’.
The truth is that the talent Dembélé displayed during his time at Rennes earned him a move to clubs like Borussia Dortmund and, later, FC Barcelona, where, interestingly, he shared a locker room with Messi before establishing himself at Paris Saint-Germain. Although Leo also played for the Parisian club, he did so between 2021 and 2023, while Dembélé joined the team in August 2023, right after the Argentine’s departure.
During their time at Barça, they won two La Liga titles (2017-18, 2018-19), one Copa del Rey (2020-21), and one Spanish Super Cup (2018). However, in their four seasons together, they never managed to win the coveted Champions League trophy, which they haven’t lifted since the 2014-15 season.
However, this comparison with Messi comes at a time when Osumane is experiencing one of his best moments on the field. As one of the key players at Paris Saint-Germain, he will aim to defend the Champions League title and also win Ligue 1.
He also faces major challenges with the France national team, as he seeks to win what would be his second World Cup in the last three tournaments, having won in 2018 and finished as runner-up in 2022 after losing to Argentina in a penalty shootout.
Looking ahead to the upcoming tournament to be played in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, France will be in Group I, alongside Norway, Senegal, and the third opponent to emerge from the intercontinental playoff between Iraq and Bolivia (Tuesday, March 31). They will play their opening match on June 16 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey against Senegal.
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