Dembélé’s best mate highlights Luis Enrique’s key role

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·24. September 2025

Dembélé’s best mate highlights Luis Enrique’s key role

Moustapha Diatta is the best friend of Ousmane Dembélé, the 28-year-old forward of Paris Saint-Germain and the French National Team, who is the winner of the 2025 Ballon d'Or. Le Parisien was able to meet him and ask him a few questions about the journey of the French international. Notably, his signing to PSG in 2023 from FC Barcelona, with the role of President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and coach Luis Enrique. The latter also knew how to push him.

Al-Khelaïfi and Luis Enrique decisive.

"The choice to sign with PSG? It's not an easy choice, because Barcelona is where we spent the most time as adults. But it's an opportunity that presents itself. The fact that there is the objective of winning the first Champions League for PSG, a French club, is tempting. Perhaps it is also time to see something else, to get closer to the family. It's important for him, President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi worked hard for Ousmane to come, his speech was super important, as was the coach's (Luis Enrique) speech.

"The coach managed to understand him, to provoke him too."

The Champions League won? It was exceptional, we had moments of joy, stress, but I don't think Ousmane wakes up every morning saying: "I am a European champion". With him, it's more like: the Champions League, it's done, you check a box. You're happy, but you move on. The coach managed to understand him, to provoke him too. And then, you have divine grace. We are believers, when all the lights are green and God says: "this year, it's for you", what can you do?"

Even though Dembélé is originally from the Paris region, he had among his dreams to play at Barça and we can understand him. It's a huge club, which shone particularly in the years when the forward was growing up in football. It's not necessarily easy to leave. Except that PSG was also very attractive. The club of his region, with his family, and an ambitious project to make history.

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Also, Moustapha Diatta emphasizes that Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and Luis Enrique knew how to have the right speech with the forward. The latter had already been under the orders of the Spanish coach at Barça. So he probably knew very well how to use the player, and possibly make him grow even more.

The 2024-2025 season proved him right, with more responsibilities for Dembélé, a position with more freedom in the center, but also the famous sanction of not being called up to play against Arsenal during the group stage. A choice that was criticized by many, except that Luis Enrique later emphasized that it was probably his best decision. We understand him, the famous trigger came shortly after.

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