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In January, many Barcelona fans were unhappy with Ousmane Dembele after he refused to extend his contract despite entering the final six months of his deal.
However, 10 weeks later, the 24-year-old appears to have turned things around. With the support of Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez, the forward has worked his way back into the good books of the fans.
The former Borussia Dortmund star has also reclaimed his position on the right flank, having briefly lost the spot to Adama Traore.
Dembele's return to form has coincided with an upturn in fortunes for Barcelona, who are now unbeaten in their last 10 matches across all competitions.
Ousmane Dembele stars against Osasuna
Ousmane Dembele was the star of the show when Barcelona faced Osasuna in La Liga on Sunday (March 13).
Dembele was one of the liveliest players on the pitch as the Catalan giants romped to a comfortable 4-0 victory in front of a packed Camp Nou.
The Frenchman ended the game with two assists after setting up Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for their goals. He has provided five assists in his last four La Liga games. The forward also created five chances, recorded 60 accurate passes and won five duels in the game.
It is still not clear whether Dembele will stay beyond the current season. However, he looks very happy at the moment, and his performances on the pitch have been nothing short of spectacular.
Dembele turns boos to cheers
When some Barcelona fans jeered at Ousmane Dembele two months ago, Xavi leaped to his defense, describing the player as a “model professional.”
The Spaniard has since been vindicated, and Dembele has successfully turned the boos to cheers.
On Sunday, the forward was given a standing ovation by the Camp Nou crowd at full-time following his impressive outing against Osasuna.
Xavi said after the game, as quoted by Barca Universal:
“Ousmane is a player that makes all the difference. He showed it again today.”
“People see that Dembele gives his life for Barça. He played a very good game, I already said that he was one more and that there was no more debate.”
“Ousmane Dembele makes the difference. By scoring, by assisting, by reaching the penalty area. We have a lot of difference makers in attack: Ferran, Auba, Luuk, Memphis… everyone."
After a difficult relationship with Barcelona fans, Dembele has turned things around superbly and has regained their trust with his impressive performances. It remains to be seen if he will continue at the club beyond this summer.
