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.
“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.”
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.”