‘The Real Dembélé’ – Why PSG Superstar Played Motivated Against Barcelona, per Expert

It’s been a few days since Paris Saint-Germain eliminated FC Barcelona from the UEFA Champions League with a 4-1 second-leg win and 6-4 on aggregate. Nonetheless, various experts and pundits are still weighing in on the quarterfinal tie. 

Ousmane Dembélé scored in both legs and was one of the standouts. Additionally, the Frenchman generated a penalty kick in the contest at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companies. 

France Football journalist Dave Appadoo recently spoke with Culture PSG and noted that he saw a different Dembélé. Appadoo states that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner played these 180 minutes to prove that what Barcelona supporters witnessed during his time there wasn’t the actual player.

“In this double confrontation, he certainly had an extra dose of motivation,” Appadoo told the French media outlet. “I believe he wanted to show the Barcelona fans that the real Dembélé is the one in Paris. We’ve stopped pointing it out because it’s become so normal, but he’s a guy who now consistently plays matches. How many times has that happened in his career? So, if you’re a Barça supporter, you must be really frustrated, thinking, ‘Damn, we’ve been a bit cheated for five years…’ because Dembélé has often been absent. 

“If he keeps going, despite the Parisian context and all the risks that come with it, it means he’s doing things right, and I think he was indeed motivated to show that, even though he always shows drive. Sure, he has his flaws and his game sometimes looks like a puzzle. But in any case, I never fault his motivation.”

Dembélé will be facing another one of his former clubs, Borussia Dortmund, in the semifinal. If he can play with a chip on his shoulder as he did against Barcelona, the French giants could be advancing to play in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.