Ousmane Dembele is one of the most divisive figures in football, certainly in Spain. Undoubtedly talented, some are fervent believers that he will never be able to convert his talented feet into results on the biggest stage – the World Cup final being the prime example. Others, including Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez, are convinced that he is a world class winger with rare abilities.
Whether the eye test matches or not, depends almost entirely on whom you speak to. However the numbers put him amongst the best in Europe.
As per Sport, Dembele was amongst the top five assisters in Europe’s major leagues in 2022. His total of 20 was only surpassed by Paris Saint-Germain’s trio of Neymar Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, as well as Manchester City maestro Kevin de Bruyne.
So far this season Dembele has 7 assists in 21 games for Barcelona, as well as 4 goals. Those numbers are ostensibly highly productive.
The largest criticism of Dembele currently is that he tends to go missing when Barcelona need him most, in the big games, where his decision-making begins to hurt the Blaugrana. While Xavi remains Barcelona manager, he is likely to continue starting those matches however.
