“He didn’t realise” – Former teammate recounts Ousmane Dembele struggles at Barcelona following Ballon d’Or success | OneFootball

Former Barcelona player Ousmane Dembele, now at Paris Saint-Germain, won his first Ballon d’Or during Monday’s ceremony, having beaten out Lamine Yamal for the prestigious award. He cited his former club during his acceptance, stating that they played a big role in his progression as a player.

Dembele spent six years as a Barcelona player, between 2017 and 2023. During this period, he struggled for consistency, with injury and poor form holding him back – and there were also a number of concerns about his professionalism.

And one example of such times was revealed by former Barcelona and France teammate Samuel Umtiti, who spoke to DAZN (via Sport) on Dembele.

“I’m very happy, you’ve made a lot of progress. We know that there were delays, that you were not rigorous.

“One time I had to call Dembélé in the morning to see if he was awake, to make sure he knew training was in the morning. He didn’t realise he was at Barcelona. He’s a very good guy, but he didn’t realise it. It’s like he was going to play in the next town over. That’s Ousmane.”

Image via France Football

Dembele deserves credit for turning his career around

Given that Barcelona spent a total of €145m to sign Dembele from Borussia Dortmund, there was a lot of pressure on him to perform during his time at Catalonia. And while he did not handle that all too well during his early years at the club, he was heading in the right direction before his move to PSG two years ago.

And he has continued on that upward trend in Paris, having been helped along the way by former Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique. The Ballon d’Or is the reward for his efforts, which he and everyone around him will be extremely delighted about.