“Closest to Messi in his generation,” “Absolute genius” – Barcelona fans salute ‘special’ player for his display in 3-0 win over Mallorca

Barcelona fans hailed Ousmane Dembele and compared him to Lionel Messi for his performance during the Blaugrana's 3-0 win against Real Mallorca.

Ansu Fati scored a brace and Gavi scored another as the Blaugrana managed to seal the win at Camp Nou. Dembele was the star of the show as the La Liga champions returned to winning ways.

The Frenchman spent a large chunk of the season on the sidelines due to injury issues. He missed 17 games for Barca, across competitions, this season. However, his performances have shown that he hasn't lost any edge in his game.

During the 84 minutes that he was on the pitch, Dembele completed 10 dribbles and played 60 accurate passes. He won 11 ground duels as well and provided five key passes.

Fans hailed the player for his performance with one writing on Twitter:

"Dembélé is really the player closest to Messi in his generation, I’ll die on this hill, the way he drives, the feints… they play so alike."

Another wrote:

"The way Dembélé just saunters past defenders like they’re not even there…absolute genius."

The Frenchman has scored eight goals and has provided seven assists in 33 games across competitions this season. Despite spending time on the sidelines, Dembele's quality has been evident whenever he has been on the pitch.

Barcelona fans lauded the player's display against Mallorca and here are some of the best Twitter reactions:

Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele spoke about Lionel Messi's potential return

Lionel Messi is currently in the final stage of his Paris Saint-Germain contract. He looks poised to leave in the summer. There have been widespread rumors about the 35-year-old's future.

The Argentine has been heavily linked with a return to Barcelona. Ousmane Dembele, who played with the Argentine previously, wants to see the legendary player back at Camp Nou. The Frenchman said (via Barca Universal):

“Messi is the absolute legend here. To see him again by our side would be exceptional.”

Dembele and Messi played 95 games together and worked together for 15 goals. While Barca needs to take care of their financial situation in a bid to make Messi's return possible, fans are already salivating at the prospect of him playing under Xavi.