Paris Saint-Germain striker Ousmane Dembélé, 28, continues to inspire rare testimonials about his sheer talent. In comments given to JF10TV and relayed by Le Parisien, Juan Fernando Quintero recounts how the French international astounded him from their very first training sessions together at Rennes.
“This guy is crazy.”
“I’ve never seen anyone as talented as Dembele! I knew Messi, but Ousmane, I’ve never seen anything like it!” “Pedro Henrique told me: ‘Watch out, this guy’s a star…’ I wondered who he was… In training, he’d show off in front of everyone, I was wondering: who is this guy? He was flying. It was impressive.
At 17, to strike the ball like that with both feet, with that much personality, it was impossible. I went home thinking: I’ve never seen anything like it, this guy is crazy.”
The core message of this account is crystal clear: in football, Dembélé hasn’t just impressed with his skills; he has very often left a lasting impression on those who have been close to him. Quintero describes a player capable of single-handedly overturning the visual hierarchy of a training session, thanks to his speed of execution, his ease with both feet, and his precocious personality.
This is also what has fueled his unique reputation in the locker room since his early days: even when his career has been hampered by injuries, less consistent periods, or frustrations regarding consistency, his human and footballing impact on his teammates has almost never been questioned. Dembélé rarely leaves anyone indifferent: he sometimes irritates, but he very often fascinates.
This account primarily highlights one thing: Dembélé’s standing within the football community has never truly mirrored the fluctuations of public opinion. Where outsiders judge by numbers or dips in form, many players speak of a talent that is immediately recognizable from the first training session.
