We continue our top 100 players 21 and under with the World Class category. These players are grouped by talents who who are capable of one day challenging for the Ballon d’Or.
Name: Ousmane Dembele
Club: Barcelona
Age: 21
Position: Winger
Strengths: Dexterity, acceleration, dribbling ability
Weaknesses: Indecisive, struggles to retain possession, overplaying
Style: Dembele will make you smile and then in one failed twist on the ball, turn that grin upside down. The Frenchman is an intoxicating blend of pure skill and enterprise, but that strength also works to be his weakness. Indeed, the winger is frequently guilty of overplaying when in possession and it often comes after a blistering run into dangerous positions or a silky bit of skill. He just about warrants a spot in the world class bracket because the 21-year-old has shown enough to justify his talent among the category for his age. But make no mistake there is much more to come from him. Dembele struggles when Lionel Messi is in the side and he’s yet to apply his ability on a consistent basis. Playing off the left in a free role, he shines, but within a team structure with much of the play funneled through the Argentine, he hides. At a club like Barca, you’re not afforded the time to develop and iron out the creases. He’s struggled to adapt with rumours of a game-console addiction resulting in late turn-ups at training, but we’ve seen enough to suggest his ceiling is incredibly high. Asked last season if he was Ferrari, Dembele replied: “A Ferrari? That’s too much. You can say I’m a Ferrari under construction. Let’s hope that I can get there.” To borrow that analogy, he possesses the electrifying acceleration of a prancing horse, but has so far been bit of a luxury.
What’s been said about him:
Xavi: “He needs to learn how to think faster. It’s mental. He needs to tell himself ‘I’m a Barca player. You need to be strong mentally.”
Jurgen Klopp: “Oooh, is he on the market? Now i am interested! I never comment on transfer rumours.”
Kylian Mbappe: “He can really become a great player alongside Messi and Suarez in attack. He’s really going to improve. He already has incredible talent, but he can make another step up.”
Forecast for 2019: Dembele actually began the 2018/19 season in sensational fashion but typically he’s tailed off. You get the sense Barca boss Ernesto Valverde doesn’t trust him entirely, although he appears to be experimenting with his precocious winger as opposed to strangling him with set instructions. Consistency is absolutely pivotal. He definitely has it though and it’s about harnessing that on a regular basis.
