Overview

• Dembélé says Messi told him to be serious if he wanted to achieve his dreams, a message he now cites as pivotal to his career.
• He calls Messi the greatest and his primary inspiration after sharing a locker-room row with him at Barcelona from 2017 to 2021.
• The Frenchman describes Messi’s exceptional positioning, noting how he can seem unseen for minutes before making the right play instantly.
• He highlights Messi’s intuitive understanding with Jordi Alba as an example of the Argentine’s tactical vision.
• Following injury-hit early years at Barcelona, Dembélé is thriving at PSG with Champions League success and a UCL best player honor, and European outlets present him as a leading Ballon d’Or candidate.