Ousmane Dembélé, the 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain striker, was a guest on Thursday’s “Rothen S’enflamme” program on RMC Sport. He spoke about several topics, including his ambitions, the Champions League final against Arsenal, his role within the Parisian team, and his future.
Dembélé: “I try to give my best with every ball, in every match.”
You still have the opportunity to win the Ballon d’Or; is that still a priority?
When you win once, you want to win many more times. But, I put the team first, obviously. The most important thing is to win the Champions League. And I’ve had that goal in mind for a long time with the French national team: to have a truly great World Cup.
I try to give my best with every ball, in every match, to make the most of every ball I get, to lead by example. That’s the message I have with the coach. Especially these last two years, it’s worked for me. The coach spoke to me, he told me I have an important role in the team, that I have to set an example, whether it’s for the older or younger players.
And I want to keep performing well, whether it’s in small or big matches. I’m also hungry to score goals, make assists, and win trophies.
You went off injured against Paris FC, how do you feel about the Champions League final in nine days?
“I’ll be fine, I have no doubt. I had a slight scare against Paris FC, but I’ll be okay, so I have no doubt about that.” I’ve had so many minor scares and major injuries in my career, especially with the final coming up, that I preferred to stop and not take any risks.
Dembélé: “We’re aware of that and we hope to win this trophy again.”
Will this be PSG’s biggest match?
“One of the biggest matches, yes. Of course, if you want to become a great champion, you have to win several times, not just once. It’s going to be an incredible event, plus we’ll have all our fans behind us, the whole city of Paris, all of France behind us. We’re aware of that and we hope to win this trophy again. Especially since winning back-to-back Champions League titles is rare, and we know that.
So we’re going to do everything we can. Luis Enrique says it’s even more special to win it a second year in a row? Yes, that’s right. And he’s right because the first time you win, it’s exceptional. But winning a second Champions League, especially consecutively, is even bigger, I think.”
Has PSG become the team to beat since then?
“Yes, absolutely. When you win six out of seven titles, you’re the team to beat; everyone wants to beat the European champions. Whether it’s in the Champions League or Ligue 1, they want to beat us, and we know it. I think we’ve managed the big matches very well, both in the Champions League and Ligue 1, against opponents who wanted to beat us. And I don’t think we’ve changed our game. Whatever happens, we wanted to press, to attack, whether against the smaller or the bigger teams. We just had to stay focused, play as a team. I think there’s no better way to win a match.”
Dembélé: “I think Arsenal deserved to win the Premier League”
Do you think PSG are the favorites against Arsenal?
“It’s hard to say. When you reach the final, anything is possible. I think Arsenal deserved to win the Premier League; they’d been close for the last three or four years. They work hard, they’ve had the same group for four or five years, so it was obvious the title was coming.
They’re a great team, very good defensively, and offensively too. And they’re even stronger on set pieces. They’re a team to be taken seriously. We played them last season, we lost in the group stage, then we knocked them out in the semi-finals. But in a final, anything is possible. You have to stay focused.”
Does this false nine role suit you?
“Yes, you know how it is. When you play on the wing or in the center, you don’t put in the same effort.” You’re closer to the goal, you can score difficult goals or even easier ones where you just have to tap the ball in. And that changes everything. That position is perfect for me; I really enjoy playing there.
And I hope to continue playing there with Luis Enrique as well as with coach Deschamps. But I also don’t mind going out wide sometimes, whether it’s with Luis Enrique or coach Deschamps. They give me a lot of freedom.
Dembélé: “I’m happy at the club and I hope it continues for a long time.”
Are you ready to accept everything the coach asks of you to win?
“Of course! He has a vision, he watches the matches. I’m not a coach, he knows a bit more than I do, but you had to put in the effort. Besides, Bayern was an incredible team. So whether you’re a striker, defender, or midfielder, you had to put in the effort at that moment. Whatever happens, if you don’t put in the effort, as I’ve already said: you’ll be on the bench very quickly with this coach.
And what’s more, I enjoy it, whether I’m attacking or defending. We saw it in that match in Munich where everyone attacked, everyone defended like dogs, as they say. It’s exceptional and it’s a pleasure to put in the effort for the team. And I think that to win trophies, there’s no better way than working as a team.”
How do you see your future? A few more years at PSG?
Oh yes, well, I still have two years left on my contract, until 2028. And things are going very well at the club, I get along very well with everyone, whether it’s the staff, the players, the president…
Does that mean you want to extend your contract with PSG?
We’ll see if PSG offers me a contract. But no, of course not, I’m happy at the club and I hope it will continue for a long time. What are the chances of seeing you at PSG next season? Next season? 100%, I have two years left on my contract. Does that mean that whatever happens, you’ll stay at PSG until 2028? Yes, yes…”
