Roman Weidenfeller has slammed Ousmane Dembele for the way forced through a move from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona last summer, claiming the Frenchman has “no manners”.
The wideman excelled during his sole season at the Westfalenstadion, scoring 10 goals in 49 games for the Bundesliga giants after moving from Ligue 1 side Rennes.
The Blaugrana moved for the 20-year-old after losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, but Dortmund stalwart Weidenfeller was not happy with the way Dembele conducted himself as he sought a transfer, branding his behaviour “ridiculous”.
“That’s not the way to leave a club,” the goalkeeper told ESPN of Dembele’s departure. “It caused unbelievable unrest and nobody could calm down.
“This is a team sport – football is not tennis. He did not even take his boots [before leaving] – it’s ridiculous. Before, I could not imagine that there is such a thing.”
Weidenfeller, 37, has spent almost his entire career in Westphalia, joining BVB in 2002 from Kaiserslautern. And he criticised the attitude of Dembele towards the club that helped develop him into a world-class talent.
“Dembele was given the opportunity to make a name for himself at Dortmund at the age of 19. Here, he developed into a player that Barcelona wanted to buy,” said the five-times capped Germany international.
“But instead of being grateful, he left the club, staying at home, striking and letting his team-mates down. That’s just bad style – no manners.”
