Ousmane Dembélé’s journey to the top is nothing short of incredible. From a hyped wonderkid who looked to have the world at his feet to a big money flop at Barcelona; 2025 was the year Ousmane Dembélé ascended to the top of football. Here’s how he got there.
Breakthrough
Ousmane Dembélé began his professional career ten years ago, marking his professional debut for Rennes on the sixth of November as a substitute against Angers.
16 days later, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal, the opener in a 2-2 draw against Bordeaux.
Dembélé would go on to play in 26 games in the league that season, scoring 12 and assisting five at just 18.
These performances showed the potential he had, and he was named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year as a result.
Destined for Stardom
The French forward was snapped up by Borussia Dortmund the following summer, for a €35m fee.
This was where he’d really begin to showcase his capabilities as someone who could become one of the world’s best players.
10 goals and 21 assists in 50 games for Dortmund, a DFB-Pokal trophy and Rookie of the season in the Bundesliga, the 19-year-old had the world at his feet.
Big Money Move
At 20, Barcelona spent €148m to bring him in, after Neymar had joined PSG. Injuries dominated his first season, ruling him out of 28 matches, but he still managed 11 goal contributions. Dembélé showed glimpses of what he could do, but replacing Neymar in the famous MSN trio was always going to be a big act to follow.
French Success
The World Cup rolled around in Russia, which would prove to be a major milestone for the 21-year-old.
Dembélé started games against Australia and Denmark in the group as France went on to win the whole tournament, lifting the trophy on the 15th of July.
Whilst he had just two minutes of involvement in the entirety of the knockout stage, Dembélé played his part to help a dominant French team rule the world.
Barca Struggles
The following season after the World Cup, his fortune seemed to have an upturn as he played 43 games in all competitions for Barcelona, netting 14 goals and providing eight assists.
However, the following season would be pretty disastrous.
Missing 38 games out of a possible 47 due to injury in the 19/20 season, the ‘flop’ label befell the wonderkid, who wasn’t living up to the expectations attached to his mega price tag.
Dembélé concluded his Barcelona career with 40 goals and 41 assists in 185 games, as well as five domestic trophies. Whilst his return was respectable, the move never lived up to expectations.
A New Start
At 26, he would return home to sign for PSG this summer. €50m was invested into him, with six goals and 14 assists recorded in his first season back in France.
Paris Saint-Germain have long been ridiculed for the amount of money they have spent, and the lack of Champions League to show for it. Even with a front three of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, PSG always fell short.
As it turned out, it was the signing of Dembélé – among others – the would finally project PSG to continental success.
The now 28-year-old hit 53 goals and assists across all competitions as PSG swept up the quadruple. Their success was built a upon collective effort with world-class players throughout, but Dembélé was the star who delivered when it mattered.
Dembélé’s career has come full circle – from wonderkid, to flop, to the Ballon d’Or.
