Ex-Barcelona Star Doesn’t Hold Back on PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé | OneFootball

The 2024-25 season was a magical one for Ousmane Dembélé, who would flip a switch when the calendar turned to 2025. Once the new year arrived for the Frenchman, it was as if a switch had been turned on, as he played a significant role in PSG winning the treble.

More importantly, Dembélé’s top performances also came in the UEFA Champions League as the attacker made his mark in last season’s tournament. As a result, PSG would go on to win their first-ever Champions League in club history.

Nonetheless, the fantastic 2025 would continue as this fall, the PSG standout would win the Ballon d’Or. The individual honor would be the final capstone to what was an impressive season for Dembélé, one in which he lived up to the potential that many believed he had when he was a young forward at Barcelona.

Ex-Barcelona Teammate Not Surprised by Ousmane Dembélé

(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Samuel Umtiti played alongside the PSG star at Barcelona before their paths split in 2023. For the former Catalan defender, the Ballon d’Or was always destined for Dembélé.

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“I was aware of [Dembélé’s] qualities,” Umtiti said (h/t Le10Sport). “And back then, he really wasn’t mature enough (laughs) given the potential he had. Sometimes, he acted like he was at the City Stadium and didn’t realize he was playing at Barcelona.

“He was natural, carefree, and unaware. He became conscious of these things under Luis Enrique, gained maturity as well, but the Ballon d’Or is well deserved given the qualities he had.”