Ousmane Dembele: The €105 million signing marked by injury after injury
The Frenchman has missed almost 50 percent of games due to fitness issues
Injuries have marked Ousmane Dembele's time in a Barcelona shirt. The France forward arrived to add pace, the ability to go past a man, assists and goals. However, until now, he's only been able to show glimpses of his talent because he's spent so much time off the pitch. Now he's out for another six months.
In his first season (2017-18), he missed 27 out of 59 games through injury. In his second (2018-19), he missed 13 out of 60 and in the current season (2019-20), he's already missed 21 out of 33. But that could end up being 43 out of 55 (if Barcelona go all the way in the Champions League).
In total, Dembele could miss 83 out of a possible 174 games due to injury across three seasons. That's almost half of Barcelona matches, 47.7 percent. In addition, he's also missed 13 games for other reasons, two of them through suspension earlier this season.
RECORD SIGNING
Signed from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 for an initial 105 million plus add-ons, he became the club's record signing at the time (he's since been overtaken by Philippe Coutinho). He committed to a five-year deal, running until 2022.
After such a big outlay, more was expected than he has offered so far: 74 games, 19 goals, 17 assists and 4,125 minutes. He's been involved in two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Super Cup. However, much more was expected.
Dembele's bad luck began on Sept. 16, 2017, in a game at Getafe in La Liga. He ruptured a tendon in his left hamstring and had to be operated on in Finland. This week he underwent the same operation in the right leg. In the middle, the injuries have not stopped for the French forward.
