The Frenchman's potential has never been up for debate, but his attitude has always been a disgrace, as underlined by his decision to leave for PSG
At the end of July, both and claimed that Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain were at "war" over Ousmane Dembele – which felt a little strange, given the Frenchman is not a player worth fighting for, at least not from the Blaugrana's perspective.
PSG's interest was understandable, of course. Dembele is an immensely talented footballer. If Luis Enrique can get him fully fit and firing, the 26-year-old still has it inside him to become a genuine superstar. Xavi knows that too, and is said to have pleaded with the player to "think of Neymar", who has long regretted quitting Camp Nou for Parc des Princes in 2017.
"I am a little disappointed with Dembele," the Barca boss admitted after the friendly with AC Milan. "He has decided to go to PSG. There is nothing we can do."
Some Blaugrana fans have been left enraged by Dembele's perceived betrayal – and that makes sense too, given the majority of them stood by the winger throughout a desperately trying six-year spell at Camp Nou. The mere fact he'd already agreed personal terms with PSG weeks ago seriously stung – even if allegations of a lack of loyalty are arguably a little harsh in light of reports that Barcelona unsettled Dembele by trying to use him as a makeweight in their efforts to sign Kylian Mbappe.
However, fury should soon give way to relief – because Barca really are well rid of one of the most frustrating figures in football.
Getty Images'The boy is special'
Dembele's ability has long been obvious. Former Rennes sporting director Mikael Silvestre described him as the most naturally gifted teenager he'd seen since his time playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, Thomas Tuchel said it was a pleasure to watch his "amazing skills" in training at Borussia Dortmund, while Martin Braithwaite admitted that he was blown away by Dembele when he joined Barcelona in 2020.
"I have never seen someone with his talent. I'm serious!" the dumbfounded Dane told . "Messi is something else but, after him, I haven't seen any player like Dembele. The boy is special."
But he's also proven terribly unprofessional and horribly inconsistent.
AdvertisementGetty'No structure around him'
There were concerns over Dembele's attitude even before he arrived in Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €105 million (£90m/$116m), with the Frenchman accused of trashing the apartment he had been renting in Germany from Jurgen Klopp.
It's also worth remembering that while former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu publicly claimed that Dembele was better than the man he had effectively replaced, Neymar, the club were actually considering cutting their losses on the forward as early as October 2018.
By that stage, it was clear that Dembele was dreadfully ill-disciplined. He was repeatedly late for team meetings, with his tardiness attributed to his fondness for playing video games until the early hours of the morning, while his diet was a disgrace for a professional athlete. One source told GOAL of countless fast food cartons found at his house, while a healthy fish dish prepared by his former chef had been discarded.
"It's a messy life," Michael Naya told . "I've never seen alcohol but he doesn't respect the rest periods at all. There's no structure around him." And his lifestyle was viewed as a key contributing factor to the umpteen muscular injuries Dembele suffered throughout his time at Barca.
(C)GettyImages'I didn't work has hard as I do now'
Even Dembele has confessed that he was "very frail" during his first few seasons in Catalunya because of his poor diet, but insisted in 2022 that he had seen the error of his ways and completely changed his mindset
“Now I see that it's essential to work hard on and off the pitch,” he told and . "The injuries came because, when I was 20, I didn't work as hard as I do now. It's clear that if you don't work, you can't enjoy football, you're not going to play much and you're going to get injured. Now, I'm stronger."
He's not, though. In any sense. Dembele missed three months of last season with a hamstring problem and even when he was available, he sparkled only sporadically, scoring just five goals in 25 Liga appearances.
He was a starter for France at the 2022 World Cup and he tormented several full-backs with his genuinely breath-taking bursts of speed – but, as always with Dembele – there was so little end product. In a team that reached the final, he managed just two assists and zero goals, while his performance in the final was embarrassing, with Didier Deschamps deciding to take him off four minutes before the break.
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GettyDembele over Mbappe
The contrast with the efficiency and quality of Mbappe on the opposite flank was stark – and, from a Barcelona perspective, pretty painful. According to agent Junior Minguella, Barca had a €155m (£134m/$184m) deal in place to sign Mbappe before he moved to PSG in the same summer as Neymar, but ultimately decided that Dembele was "better suited to the team's style of play".
When Minguella recounted this story on in February 2021, there was widespread incredulity, so he subsequently produced WhatsApp messages to verify his claims, tweeting: "A gift for the haters and unbelievers."