Dembélé, Doué… Zidane ‘loves’ PSG’s player profiles

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·27 September 2026

Dembélé, Doué… Zidane ‘loves’ PSG’s player profiles

Zinédine Zidane is not hiding his appreciation for attacking profiles developed by or having come through Paris Saint-Germain. In a press conference, the France manager placed particular emphasis on Ousmane Dembélé, 29, a PSG forward, while also mentioning Désiré Doué, 21, the Parisian attacker.

Zidane: “An incredible amount of energy”

“For me, he’s already doing it. He is vice-captain. He has that role even when he isn’t. You can feel it. He’s a good guy, always there for others. We have to make the most of his experience. In Turkey, he played in the same position as at PSG. He does it very well. Tomorrow is another match, we’ll see how we’re going to do it. But Ousmane really has a very interesting work rate. He has an incredible amount of energy. He can easily play 90 minutes.”

It is no longer just Ousmane Dembélé’s attacking talent that stands out. Zidane also stresses everything the player has become over the years: a leader, a link-up man, and a player capable of giving a huge amount without the ball. That status directly echoes his development at PSG. Under Luis Enrique, Dembélé has gradually shed his role as a flashy winger to become a much more complete forward, capable of playing through the middle, initiating the press, and influencing the team well beyond his goals or assists.

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Perhaps the most interesting part lies elsewhere: Zidane clearly is not trying to reinvent Dembélé with France. His use through the middle in Turkey follows the same principles that allowed the PSG man to reach another level. After years in which club and country could offer very different roles to the same player, PSG is this time becoming a reference point that the national coach seems ready to build on.

Zidane: “I love this type of player”

“They are young and very dynamic players, super interesting. I love this type of player because out wide, that’s where you can make a lot of difference.”

Désiré Doué obviously fits this search for directness very well. The PSG player has precisely that ability to receive the ball out wide without being confined to a classic winger’s role: take on defenders, cut inside, combine, or beat his man. For a manager who wants to create individual differences in wide areas, his profile offers a huge number of possibilities.

Bradley Barcola now belongs to Liverpool, but his association with Doué in Zidane’s remarks also recalls the attacking wealth PSG still had until recently. Two very different players in the way they take on opponents: more power, speed, and depth for Barcola; more variation and inside play for Doué. And clearly, this kind of game-breaker appeals a lot to the new manager.

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