Ousmane Dembele opens up on Barcelona time – ‘I am happy with everything that happened’ | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele has opened up on his time at the club, stating that he is delighted with his spell at the Blaugrana. The 28-year-old had six-year spell at Barcelona, before moving back to France in 2023.

Dembele arrived at Barcelona in the aftermath of Neymar Junior’s exit to PSG, and cost the Catalan giants €148m. Many felt they might have overpaid for the 20-year-old at the time, who was arriving after a single season at Borussia Dortmund. Just a few weeks into his Barcelona career, he was ruled out for four months with a muscle tear.

“It was complicated, especially as I was coming to the club after just 18 months as a professional, with six months at Rennes and then a year at Dortmund. You arrive at 20 years old in a dressing room like Barcelona with all the stars, with all the players I dreamed of playing for… it was just exceptional,” he told FourFourTwo.

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“Afterwards, you had to adapt. I wasn’t lucky for three or four years with injuries. When you could play, you had to adapt. When you couldn’t, you had to stay strong. But I was doing what I love and I was at the club of my dreams, Barcelona. It wasn’t easy, but after three or four years, things were much better.”

Content with spell at Barcelona

In spite of his consistent injury issues, Dembele has explained that he was happy with his time at the club. In his final season, Dembele was championed by manager Xavi Hernandez, and he repaid that faith with an important role in their 2023 La Liga title.

“I am happy with everything that happened at Barcelona, because that’s really where I grew as a person, both on the pitch and off it. I also made a lot of friends in Barcelona, with whom I still talk a lot. So it was just an exceptional time for me and, above all, it was a time of learning.”

Dembele has overcome injury issues

After suffering from injury issues so often, Dembele finally found a run of fitness in 2022, and became an important part of the Barcelona side. The PSG star has explained what changed to help him past those injuries.

“After one injury, two, three, four injuries, you understand you have to take care of your body, that high-level football is demanding and it’s not just about talent, or waking up and going straight on to the pitch. You understand that anything can happen.”

“I understood that I had to work, that I had to get stronger, that I had to eat well, sleep well. I understood all of that. And there you go, it’s paying off today at Paris Saint-Germain. I’m happy.”

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Dembele to miss Barcelona clash in Champions League

Rather unfortunately, the day the interview was published, Dembele was ruled out for around six weeks due to a muscle injury. It will deprive the French international the chance to return to Barcelona with PSG, with the two scheduled to meet at Camp Nou on the first of October.

Dembele remains something of a topic of debate amongst Barcelona fans. While he was undoubtedly a victim of circumstances and injuries during his time there, Dembele also left for just over a third of his original fee just when things seemed to be coming together for him in Catalonia.