#2 He has been tipped as a future Ballon d’Or winner
Despite that tricky start to his career, even before he was professional, Dembele exploded onto the scene in France, earning praise from all corners.
It was Silvestre, however, who paid him the biggest compliment possible. “I’m going to take a risk, but he could be a challenger to win the Ballon d’Or,” he explained in February 2016. “I saw Ronaldo sign for Manchester United at the same age and Ousmane has characteristics that remind me of a young Cristiano.”
Nevertheless, there were doubters, such as Rolland Courbis, later to become Rennes head coach, who said at the same time: “Dembele still needs a club like Rennes for at least the next two seasons to come.”
The youngster has very quickly proven the experienced boss wrong.
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