PSG/Arsenal – Dembélé’s strong messages before the final | OneFootball

Saturday, in the 2025-2026 Champions League final, Paris Saint-Germain will face Arsenal at the Puskas Arena in Budapest (kick-off at 6 p.m., broadcast on Canal+ and M6). On the eve of this match, Paris forward Ousmane Dembélé (29) answered several questions at a press conference.

Dembélé: “It wasn’t easy at the beginning, but he deserved to win the Premier League and reach the Champions League final.”

How do you feel about tomorrow’s match? Is it a clash of styles?

Arsenal are a very good team, we saw that with their Premier League title. They also finished at the top of the Champions League league phase. They deserve to be here, they are good pretty much everywhere. In attack and in defense, and on set pieces. There are very good players and a very good coach, who has done a huge job. It wasn’t easy at the beginning, but he deserved to win the Premier League and reach the Champions League final.

Dembélé: “That’s the only thing on my mind. Individual trophies get people talking a lot, but they come after.”

How much has the Ballon d’Or changed your ambitions and pushed you to go further?

It hasn’t really changed the way I am or the way I play. I’ve had a lot more responsibility since I arrived at PSG. I try to be good on the pitch, in big games as well as smaller ones. I still have the same desire, the hunger to win trophies with this club, this staff, and this squad. That’s the only thing on my mind. Individual trophies get people talking a lot, but they come after. The most important thing is to win with PSG and make all these people happy.

Have you been waiting for this match for a year? Can last year’s victory help?

We always want to play in the Champions League final. The first title really did us good, it was a historic night. But no, everything starts at 0-0. We want to win trophies. We have a young group with a lot of ambition. We don’t want to stop there. Winning tomorrow is important. It would be historic. But we remain focused, we know there is a good team in front of us. We are all going for the trophy.

How are you feeling? Were you worried you might miss the final?

No, I wasn’t afraid, I stopped before that. I had 10-15 days to prepare. The season hasn’t been easy, but the staff managed things very well despite the lack of preparation. We’re preparing calmly, and we hope everything goes well tomorrow.

Dembélé: “If we want to be great players, we have to win this kind of trophy several times. We’re hungry.”

What is the mindset like after chasing the Champions League and now defending the title? How are you preparing for it?

We’re enjoying all these moments. We are very focused. We have a young group, an incredible staff, incredible players who are hungry for trophies. We want to win the Champions League, the league, the cup… If we want to be great players, we have to win this kind of trophy several times. We’re hungry.

Is Luis Enrique the greatest coach of your career? The one who has had the biggest impact? Do you feel you’ve improved more with the ball or without it?

I think he is one of the best I’ve had in my career. He has helped me improve a lot, with and without the ball. It’s the tactical things he gives me. With age, you gain experience. With Luis Enrique and with other coaches too. There are also incredible players, so it’s a little easier.

Dembélé: “The staff managed the players very well.”

You have incredible support from the fans?

It’s huge, we’ve seen all the excitement around the final. Already last season with the first title. It gives us confidence, we’re happy they are there. They also expect a lot from us. We hope to make them happy.

There have been a lot of matches over the last two seasons, how do you feel? What have you changed to stay fit?

It has been a particular season. We played a huge number of matches last year, we finished in mid-July I think. Then we kept going. We tried to be ready. The coach also gave us days off to rest and switch off. After that, it’s competition, there are a lot of matches. The staff managed the players very well. I like it when there are a lot of matches, it’s a good sign. A final is incredible. Everything has been managed very well.

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