Ousmane Dembélé hails ‘exceptional’ Barcelona star amid Ballon d’Or battle | OneFootball

Former Barcelona star Ousmane Dembélé has this week revealed his appreciation for the talents of current Blaugrana standout Lamine Yamal.

The names of attackers Dembélé and Lamine have of course found themselves positioned alongside one another in the media for several weeks now.

This comes amid mounting claims that the pair have emerged as the leading candidates to lift this year’s Ballon d’Or.

Wide-man Dembélé is fresh off leading Paris Saint-Germain to a first-ever Champions League title, whilst Lamine notched a domestic treble of his own, dazzling onlookers the world over despite being just 17 years of age.

Speaking during an extensive interview with France Football this week, the former, in turn, was drawn on his chief competition for the ‘Golden Ball’.

And Dembélé made use of the opportunity to open up on Lamine’s emergence in Catalunya’s capital, in explaining:

“He was already talked about since he was very young in Barcelona. When he joined the professional team, we understood that he was exceptional and he took on another dimension. In training, he dribbled, assisted, scored. It was unreal.”

Quotes via Mundo Deportivo

Conor Laird – GSFN