Dembélé steps up: leadership and calm restored at Paris | OneFootball

Ousmane Dembélé, 28 years old, forward for Paris Saint-Germain, opened up to GQ France about his new status. Returning to Ligue 1 to join “the biggest club,” he explains how PSG’s management asked him to take on a leadership role, after a season marked by his emergence in the locker room.

Dembélé: “It’s true that it’s a bit calmer than in Spain. Just, a bit.”

Dembélé: “It was time to assert myself”

Dembélé didn’t beat around the bush: at 28, he knows the time for promises is over. His return to France wasn’t just a choice for comfort or family stability; it was the moment to take on a real presence in the Paris Saint-Germain locker room. The message he relays—from the president, the sporting director, and the staff—shows that the club expected much more from him than just an unpredictable player on the pitch: he had to become a voice, a reference point, a leader.

Last season served as a testing ground for this transformation. Less exposed than in Spain, but never out of the spotlight, Dembélé had to learn to channel his experience, to share, to guide. It’s this transition, often a quiet one, that separates a talent from a strong figure in a squad aiming for the top.

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