Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Ousmane Dembele has reflected on playing along with Lionel Messi at Barcelona. The Frenchman appreciated Messi's play style and revealed that he got a lot of advice from the Argentina legend.
Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017 after the latter switched to PSG for a record transfer fee of €222 million. Although Dembele failed to live up to his €104 million tag, Dembele achieved significant success while playing for Barcelona and fondly remembers his time with Lionel Messi at the Spanish side.
Speaking with Four Four Two, The 28-year-old said about his eight-time Ballon d'Or winner:
“I had a very good relationship with Messi from the very first day. My locker was right next to his, and he gave a lot of advice to me. He was someone who instinctively knew what you wanted. He told me that I’d have to be serious if I wanted to achieve my dreams – after that, I watched and learned from what he did on the pitch."
Dembele appreciated Lionel Messi's skillset, saying:
"Whether he played as a number 10 or number nine, his positioning was exceptional, the way he seemed to make himself invisible on the pitch. Sometimes you don’t seem to see him for about four or five minutes, then as soon as he gets the ball, he instinctively knows what to do."
"Messi would know when Jordi Alba was going to double up front with him, when he was going to put the ball in. He understands football really well, positions himself very well on the pitch and you know – we all know – what he can do with his feet," he added.
Messi and Dembele played together just 95 times across four seasons for Barcelona, registering 15 joint-goal contributions and winning two league titles and two Copa del Reys. While the Argentine left the club in 2021 to join PSG, the Frenchman followed in a similar route two years later.
Ousmane Dembele names Lionel Messi as the GOAT
During an interview with France Football in July 2024, Dembel said when asked to name his GOAT, he picked Lionel Messi, saying:
“I grew up watching FC Barcelona, so naturally [it’s] Lionel Messi. For me, he’s the greatest. He’s a player who inspires me, he’s unique! I’m very happy and proud to have played with him."
Lionel Messi has amassed 25 goals and 11 assists in just 32 games across all competitions this season.