Who is Borussia Dortmund's new signing Ousmane Dembele?
Few times has a player passed from anonymity to fame so quickly. In hardly 20 matches as a professional footballer, Ousmane Dembele has become, completely on merit, one of the stars to follow in Ligue 1 thanks to the nine goals and three assists since his debut.
Born in Vernon, France, Dembele developed at Evreux, before moving to Rennes as a 13-year-old. There, he has grown as a player, taking gigantic steps forward and becoming the jewel of the club’s academy. Last season, at just 17, he scored 13 goals in the 18 games he played for the club’s B team in the fifth tier of French football.
Those numbers have allowed ‘Dembouz’ to become a regular in France’s junior teams. He's played for the U17 team since 2013 and has caught the attention of the likes of Benfica, Porto and Red Bull Salzburg, all of whom tried to sign him last summer.
Rennes, though, managed to hold on to the player with the promise of a professional contract and minutes in Philippe Montanier’s first team. And Montanier used him on November 13 of last year against Angera. Since that day, Dembele has become more and more regular in the team and since Corbis replaced Montanier as manager, his growth has been even more impressive. His most impressive performance came in March, when he scored a hat-trick against Nantes with Barça’s scouts in the stands.
HOW DOES HE PLAY?
Those who have seen Dembele regularly say he has a little bit of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar about him. He has the Portuguese’s speed and a similar finishing style. From the Brazilian, he has the ability to beat a man with ease. Data to hand, he now has the most dribbles in Europe’s top five leagues - ahead of Hatem Ben Arfa and Neymar. His 12 goals, meanwhile, situate him as the top scorer of players under the age of 21, too, with one more than Sporting’s Paraguay forward Tony Sanabria.
We’re talking about a left-footed player, but one that can play on either flank. If he’s on the right, he’ll look to cut in on his left and shoot, akin to the style of Arjen Robben. In any case, his versatility in attack is a quality to keep in mind. He has a lot of potential, but he needs a lot of minutes to consolidate his play and to continue learning.. For the moment he is doing that at Rennes. Next season? Borussia Dortmund.
