Rolland Courbis, who coached Ousmane Dembélé at Rennes when he was just 18, was invited by Le Parisien to reflect on that period with the now 28-year-old forward, who recently won the 2025 Ballon d’Or with Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team. He highlighted Dembélé’s “vision,” later confirmed by coaches Thomas Tuchel and Luis Enrique.
Courbis: “I’m proud to have been the first to think he could play centrally.”
“Was it obvious to start him at 18?
I never considered leaving Ousmane out of the starting lineup. He was already playing regularly before I took over the team. He had so many qualities that there was no reason not to use him.
In a 4-2-3-1 formation, he could switch positions during a match, playing on the right, on the left, and centrally. Each coach has their own vision for how to use Ousmane. I had mine, and I wasn’t entirely wrong in positioning him centrally.
To what extent did you influence his career, and what did you contribute to him?
I’m proud to have been the first to think he could play centrally, in attack. I gave him that responsibility because when he was on the wing and cutting inside, he had too many players to dribble past. It was a matter of positioning, not numbers.
When he went to Borussia Dortmund, coached by Tuchel, I told him, ‘Have a word with him and make your case that you can play centrally.’ I saw Ousmane again some time later, and he told me that Tuchel agreed. That made me very happy.” It’s understandable that Courbis is proud, given that his idea has been widely validated by two highly respected coaches. Both of these coaches have won the Champions League during their careers, and their careers are not yet over. It’s always gratifying to see such a concept implemented at the highest level. In fact, it was primarily in this role that Dembélé, who is often deployed as a winger, won the Champions League.
However, it would be a mistake to overstate this. The French international is also an excellent winger. Above all, he possesses great versatility thanks to his technical, physical, and tactical skills. Dembélé is a truly outstanding footballer, who understands the importance of team play. The key now is to integrate him optimally into the available squad.
Part of his breakthrough last season was undoubtedly due to finally escaping injuries, gaining confidence thanks to the management style of coach Luis Enrique, the support of his teammates, and a newfound energy. He finally managed to score important goals, and everything else followed. But we can’t pretend that everything is suddenly perfect in the center-forward position, or that he wasn’t already very good on the wing. In fact, he often plays on the wings at PSG. He simply thrives when given that freedom.
