PSG: Dembélé aims to keep entertaining and score more goals

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·29. September 2025

PSG: Dembélé aims to keep entertaining and score more goals

Ousmane Dembélé (28 years old), winger for Paris Saint-Germain, explains in L’Équipe how he still claims his identity as a “thrill player” while embracing a greater demand for efficiency. The Frenchman describes how he adapts his game depending on his position, alternating between bursting down the wing and taking on finishing responsibilities in the center.

Dembélé: “That’s what I love—dribbling, getting the crowd on their feet, all of that, that’s what I love most”

“Before, you liked being called a dribbler, a player who’s great to watch. Has that changed now? No. I’d still like to be seen that way. That’s what I love—dribbling, getting the crowd on their feet, all of that, that’s what I love most. People have always said I’m a thrill player, so I want them to keep saying it and I want to keep being that. But this year, I was playing in a new role where I had to score goals, a lot more. The coach told me that. I replied: ‘I’ll try.’”

Dembélé: “My style of play changes depending on my position”

How do you go from being a thrilling dribbler to a cold-blooded scorer? My style of play changes depending on my position. If I’m put on the wing, I’m going to dribble and bring some excitement. But if I play as a number 9, I’ll really play for the team. I’ll be much more collective, help the team bring the ball out, make the most of passes… But in matches where the opponents have five or six at the back, with little space in the middle, I can also help the team by playing out wide and going one-on-one.”

What Dembélé embraces today is a fruitful compromise: sometimes giving up the tightrope act to occupy the danger zone. The “thrill” winger is willing to forgo a few dribbles in order to attack the near or far post, hold his position in the center, make repeated diagonal runs, and close down in counter-pressing to be the one who finishes the play.

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His hybrid skill set—taking on defenders when the wing is open, being a goal threat when the center is crowded—makes PSG’s game plan more fluid: he stretches defenses, draws double teams, frees up the inside pass… then bursts in to finish. The spark isn’t lost, it’s channeled. Because he can do everything on the pitch—break down a low block or punish in transition—Dembélé becomes more than just the showman: he’s the piece that changes the equation, and therefore, indispensable.

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