Dembélé sets the tone before the World Cup: calmer, stronger, ready

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·29. März 2026

Dembélé sets the tone before the World Cup: calmer, stronger, ready

In an interview with Fox Deportes, Ousmane Dembélé, the 28-year-old forward for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team, showed clear confidence in his current level and in his personal development. The French international also reiterated a strong idea: talent will not be enough without a collective framework and shared standards.

Dembélé: “I have much more experience”

“I have much more experience, and the level I’ve had since last season is much better. A lot of things have changed in football and in my personal life. There are only positives. I am much calmer, much more thoughtful. I hope to maintain this level. I’m happy. I’m clearly in the best period of my career. I’ve gained a tremendous amount of experience, both in football and in my life. I know myself, I know what I have to do.

Dembélé: “I hope to be part of that squad and be very good at this World Cup”

Playing in a World Cup is not something that happens every day. It is an honor for a professional football player; it is where the best players and the best teams are. I hope to be part of that squad and be very good at this World Cup. I’m very excited about what’s coming. We are mainly focused on ourselves. For several years now, there has been a group of players who know each other. Above all, we will have to be good collectively. There isn’t really any pressure because we were outsiders in 2018 and we won that trophy. We were also one of the favorites in Qatar and we made it all the way to the final. We are used to all that. There is a lot of calm.

Dembélé: “We can have all the best players in the world, but if we don’t have a structured and united team, it won’t work”

There are huge individual talents. But we can have all the best players in the world; if we don’t have a structured and united team, it won’t work. That is especially what we are going to focus on. The team comes first. We are preparing well for this World Cup, and we hope to go all the way,” comments relayed by RMC Sport.

Dembélé’s remarks contain something striking for both Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team: you hear a player who is finally fully embracing his status, without excess or unnecessary noise around it. He speaks with confidence, but also with a kind of composure that contrasts with the more inconsistent image that long followed him.

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That is where the message becomes interesting: yes, he feels he is in the best period of his career, but he refuses to make it an individual matter. On the contrary, he stresses structure, cohesion, and collective discipline. Clearly, confidence is welcome, almost necessary, but it will protect no one if the common framework starts to crack.

In a World Cup year, the reminder is as accurate as it is useful. Perhaps the most reassuring thing, in the end, is not his displayed level, but the way he talks about it. Dembélé is not selling empty dreams: he is showing that he now knows a major tournament rewards solid teams, not just an accumulation of talent.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.