*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:02, 2 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:20, 14 October 2024 (UTC)
Dembélé began his career at Rennes before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2016. He won the DFB-Pokal with Dortmund in the 2016–17 season, scoring a goal in the final. A year later, he transferred to Barcelona for an initial fee of €105 million, becoming at the time the joint-second most expensive footballer ever, alongside compatriot Paul Pogba. Dembélé went on to win three La Liga, two Copa del Rey, and two Supercopa de España titles with the club. He returned to France with Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
After winning 20 caps and scoring five goals at youth level, Dembélé made his senior international debut for France in 2016. He was a member of the France squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, also featuring at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 World Cup (finishing as runners-up) and Euro 2024.
Early life and career
Dembélé was born in Vernon, Eure, in Normandy. His mother is Mauritanian-Senegalese from Waly Diantang, while his father is Malian.[5][6] He took his first footballing steps in nearby Évreux, first at ALM Évreux and then at Évreux FC 27 between the ages of 12 and 13.[7][8]
Dembélé made his senior debut for Rennes' reserve side in the Championnat de France Amateur, on 6 September 2014, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute for Zana Allée. He effectively set up Alseny Kourouma for the second goal of a 2–0 home win over the reserves of Breton rivals Guingamp.[9] On 9 November, he scored his first career goal, again coming off the bench in a game at the Stade de la Piverdière, this time against the reserves of Laval.[10] He totalled 13 goals in 18 games in his first season, including a hat-trick on 16 May 2015 in a 6–1 win over Hérouville.[11]
On 6 November 2015, Dembélé made his professional debut for Rennes' first team in Ligue 1 against Angers, replacing Kamil Grosicki for the last five minutes of the game.[12] On 22 November, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal for the first team against Bordeaux, opening a 2–2 draw at Roazhon Park.[13] On 9 January 2016, Dembélé found the net again for Rennes, as they came from 0–2 down to draw 2–2 against regional rivals Lorient at home.[14] On 6 March, he scored his first Ligue 1 hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Nantes in the Derby Breton.[15]
On 12 May 2016, Dembélé signed a five-year contract with German club Borussia Dortmund, effective 1 July.[16] On 14 August, he made his debut in a 2–0 defeat against Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup.[17] He scored his first goal for Dortmund on 20 September, in a Bundesliga encounter against VfL Wolfsburg, which Dortmund won 5–1 at the Volkswagen Arena.[18] On 22 November, he scored the first Champions League goal of his career as the German club defeated Legia Warsaw 8–4 in a group stage meeting.[19]
On 26 April 2017, Dembélé assisted Aubameyang's goal and scored the 74th-minute winner against Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal's semi-final, helping Dortmund reach the cup final.[20] In the decisive game on 27 May, he scored the first goal of a 2–1 victory as Dortmund clinched their first major title in five years by winning the 2017 DFB-Pokal Final against Eintracht Frankfurt. Dembélé was subsequently named man of the match.[21] After the end of the season, Dembélé was named to the Bundesliga Team of the Season and awarded the league's Rookie of the Season award.[22][23]
Barcelona
On 25 August 2017, La Liga side Barcelona announced that they had reached an agreement to sign Dembélé for €105 million plus a reported €40 million add-ons.[24][25] On 28 August, he had his medical and signed a five-year contract, with his buyout clause set at €400 million.[26] Barcelona had just sold Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for €222 million, so the deal meant that Dembélé became the joint-second most expensive player (in euros), along with Paul Pogba. Rennes received a reported €20 million from Borussia Dortmund as a result of the sale,[27] and Évreux 27 were also due part of the fee.[8] He was handed the number 11 shirt previously worn by Neymar.[28][29]
2017–18: First season and domestic double
Dembélé made his debut on 9 September as a 68th-minute substitute for Gerard Deulofeu in a 5–0 Derbi barceloní win over Espanyol at the Camp Nou, assisting the final goal by Luis Suárez.[30] In his first league start eight days later at Getafe, he injured his hamstring and was ruled out for four months.[31] He was given the medical all-clear on 2 January 2018,[32] but a couple weeks later, he again injured himself against Real Sociedad and was ruled out for up to four weeks.[33]
On 14 March 2018, Dembélé scored his first goal for Barcelona, netting the second goal in a 3–0 second leg win in the Champions League round of 16 against Chelsea.[34] On 17 April, he scored his first La Liga goal, the opening goal in an eventual 2–2 draw with Celta Vigo.[35] On 9 May, Dembélé scored twice, marking the first brace of his Barcelona career, in a 5–1 home victory over Villarreal.[36] Dembélé won both the Copa del Rey and La Liga winners' medals in his first season in Spain, with the 20-year-old scoring four goals in 24 appearances across all competitions.[37]
2018–19: Supercopa de España and second La Liga title
On 12 August 2018, Dembélé scored the winning goal against Sevilla in the Supercopa de España, in an eventual 2–1 victory to win Barcelona their 13th Supercopa de España title.[38] He opened his La Liga season's goal tally by scoring the only goal of the game against Real Valladolid, on 25 August, away at the Estadio José Zorrilla.[39] On 18 September, Dembélé scored his first Champions League goal of the season, helping Barcelona beat PSV 4–0 at the Camp Nou.[40] On 4 November, he inspired Barcelona to a 3–2 comeback away against Rayo Vallecano, scoring the 2–2 equaliser with a half-volley in the 87th minute.[41] On 11 December, he scored a remarkable solo goal against Tottenham Hotspur outpacing many defenders, finishing with a cool left footed shot past Hugo Lloris. He won the UEFA Champions League Goal of the Week for that goal.[42] After the match, Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde praised the youngster, saying "He has made a great goal, within reach of players with his talent."[43] He finished the season with 14 goals, 8 of them in the league, as his club managed to win another La Liga title.[44]
2019–20: Recurring injuries
Dembélé injured his left hamstring in the opening match of the 2019–20 La Liga season, a 0–1 defeat against Athletic Bilbao, and was expected to miss five weeks.[45] In February 2020, he suffered a serious hamstring tear and, following surgery, was not expected to return for six months. This would mean despite the extension of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he would miss the rest of the season.[46]
On 28 October 2020, Dembélé scored his first Champions League goal of the season in a 2–0 victory over Juventus.[47]
2021–23: Hamstring injury and contract extension
Dembélé suffered a hamstring injury when playing with France national team in the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 in 2021. His injury required surgery, and was operated in Turku, Finland, by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in late June 2021.[48][49] Dembélé was also operated by Lempainen and Sakari Orava in 2017 and 2020.[50][51]
On 10 May 2022, Dembélé provided two assists in a 3–1 home victory over Celta Vigo. It was his 10th and 11th league assists in 2022.[52] He finished the 2021–22 La Liga season as the league's top playmaker with thirteen assists.[53]
On 14 July 2022, Dembélé extended his contract with Barcelona until 30 June 2024.[54][55] His release clause was set to €50 million, and later raised to €100 million on 1 August 2023.[56]
Paris Saint-Germain
On 12 August 2023, Dembélé joined Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain on a contract until June 2028, for a fee of €50.4 million.[57][58][59] He was initially assigned the number 23 jersey, but switched to the number 10 following Neymar's departure from the club.[60][61]
On 20 August, Dembélé made his PSG debut, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw away to Toulouse.[62] On 24 September, he got his first goal involvement for PSG, providing the assist for Gonçalo Ramos's first goal in a 4–0 Le Classique win over Marseille.[63] On 24 November, Dembélé scored his first goal for the club in a 5–2 win at home over Monaco.[64] On 10 April 2024, he scored his first Champions League goal with PSG in a 3–2 home defeat against his former club Barcelona in the quarter-final first leg.[65] In the second leg six days later, he scored PSG's first goal in a 4–1 away victory, helping secure his club's qualification to the semi-finals and taking home the player of the match award.[66]
Dembélé was called up to the senior France squad for the first time in August 2016 to face Italy and Belarus in friendlies after Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir withdrew through injury.[67] He made his debut on 1 September against the former at the Stadio San Nicola, replacing Antoine Griezmann for the final 27 minutes of a 3–1 win.[68] On 13 June 2017, Dembélé scored his first goal for France in a 3–2 friendly victory against England.[69]
On 17 May 2018, Dembélé was named in the 23-man French squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[70] On 15 July, he was an unused substitute as France beat Croatia 4–2 in the final.[71]
Dembélé was called up to the French squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he played all games as France finished the tournament as runner-ups.[72] Dembélé started the final but conceded a penalty in the first half and was substituted in the 41st minute.[73]
Dembélé is a winger who can play on either flank, due to his ability to use both feet, and to utilise his technical ability, speed, and agility in order to get past opponents or beat defenders in one-on-one situations. Dembélé can also operate as a left or right-sided attacking midfielder in a 4–4–2 or 3–5–2 formation. His clinical finishing and eye for goal also allow him to be deployed in a more offensive role as a striker. Dembélé also has great quality in terms of his shooting ability from distance.
Dembélé has received praise from former team captain Andrés Iniesta for his game-changing qualities.[76] He is well known for his ability to use either foot;[77] a highly skilful player, his dribbling skills and ability to perform elaborate moves allow him to cut through from the left or right wing in order to score or create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. The Frenchman is also an excellent crosser of the ball; moreover, his creativity is exceptional when in possession. Furthermore, his pace and intelligent runs make him a major offensive threat during counterattacks.
In March 2019, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu insisted that Dembélé, "is better than Neymar", who previously played for the club.[78]
Personal life
Dembele is a practising Muslim.[79] He married a Moroccan woman in a traditional Moroccan ceremony in France in December 2021.[80][81][82] They have a daughter, born September 2022.[83]
In July 2021, Dembélé was condemned as a racist, when video footage of him along with teammate Antoine Griezmann circulated online, in which he was seen making racial comments against the Japanese technicians in their hotel room.[84] As the technicians appeared to be troubleshooting the room's television, Dembélé made comments towards Griezmann in French, stating "All these ugly faces, just so you can play PES, aren't you ashamed?", continuing with "What the fuckin language?" before zooming in while laughing on one of the technicians' faces, mentioning "Are you technologically advanced in your country or not?".[85][86][87]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 6 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^"Rennes en pilotage automatique" [Rennes on auto-pilot]. Maville.com (in French). 10 November 2014. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
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