The ball was played on the right flank to a skinny 19-year-old kid playing his first season of competitive football. With his first touch, he took the ball to his right foot. And with his second, he pushed it past his direct opponent.
He then sprinted towards the ball like a cheetah who had just seen his prey and raised his right foot to cross it in. However, it was all a part of his big bluff as he caressed the ball back and sent the defender to sleep with the fishes.
That’s when he assured us that he is no ordinary talent. The way he executed it… it was as if time shifted to quantum mode for him as he effortlessly dragged the ball back while the poor defender was left to be embarrassed by inertia.
With the next touch, he set himself up to execute a low drilled cross and then he played it into Giovanni Sio, who had no problems burying it into the net to make it 5 for his team.
The final score read: Marseille 2-5 Rennes. It was a monumental game for the kid that provided the assist to Sio; he scored his 10th league goal of the season in the same game to become the youngest player in the history of French Ligue 1 to do so, a record that was broken the very next year by a brilliant Kylian Mbappe.
Borussia Dortmund were among the many clubs that spotted his talent, but were the only ones who could convince him to join them. In his first season in Germany, he finished with 10 goals and 12 assists, something that is nothing but special for a 20-year-old.
By now, you must have guessed that the player is none other than Ousmane Dembele. If you didn’t, then it is a shame.
Dembele is the most naturally gifted in his age group
While his younger compatriot, Mbappe, is being touted as the future Ballon d’Or holder, the French winger is perhaps the more talented player. Indeed, when he runs with the ball glued to his feet, he gives the impression of a man on fire with the mission to burn everything to ashes.
Even after watching him for a prolonged period, most can’t determine his stronger foot as he can use both of them to dribble and shoot. In fact, even he himself gave a confusing answer when asked which foot is his stronger one.
And now, after fully announcing himself on the world stage, Barcelona are apparently interested in bringing him to the Camp Nou.
This is a move that makes sense. After a disappointing season that showed the weakness of Barcelona’s depth, it has become apparent that they need to sign some quality players to have a strong squad overall.
Yes, they have the best frontline in the game, but their midfield and defence lacks the necessary backup to compete against the strength of Real Madrid. So how, pray tell, does adding another forward strengthen Barcelona in the other areas?
The inclusion of Dembele will redefine Messi’s role
While Barcelona’s defence needs new signings to be competitive, the addition of Dembele will almost certainly improve their midfield as it will make the inevitable happen earlier: Lionel Messi’s shift in midfield.
Most things in life are uncertain, but almost every fan unanimously agrees that the Argentine will finish his career as a midfielder as he has every trait to be a successful midfielder. His scoring and dribbling abilities are so good that people tend to underrate perhaps his best skill: passing.
Ever since the departure of Xavi Hernandez and the decline of Andres Iniesta, Barcelona haven’t been the same team. Time and again, the brilliance of Lionel Messi became the feature that saved them on countless occasions. Ivan Rakitic was bought in, but he is nowhere near the former midfielder’s level.
However, Barcelona have a solution: Lionel Messi.
The star, who only just turned 30, is reaching the final phase of his career. In order to prolong his career, he will have to take the Cristiano Ronaldo-route and protect himself as much as he can. While the Portuguese was rested completely, Lionel Messi doesn’t have to do exactly that as a shift to midfield would decrease the amount of brutality he faces from the defenders in the final third.
However, there is nobody else to take up his position in the attack line. Unless they sign Ousmane Dembele.
Signing Dembele would be like killing two birds with one stone
The Frenchman already possesses the dribbling ability of the former Newell’s kid—falling short by just 0.4 dribbles-per-game when compared to Messi’s 3.6 dribbles-per-game last season.
In fact, he also has the bonus of being ambidextrous, something which Lionel Messi can’t say about himself.
This is not to say that Dembele is already as good as Messi. Actually, no player is as good as the Argentina captain, let alone Dembele. And he does have his shortcomings. The former Rennes man might be the most talented player of his age group, but is often guilty of poor decision-making.
And it is only natural. He is only 20 years old and the lack of maturity could be seen as the work of his age. However, that is something that can always be improved with time and under the tutelage of the great Argentine himself, it is bound to be.
With Messi shifting in midfield and Dembele taking his place up front, it will not only redefine the role of the former but also rejuvenate Barcelona. There is an argument that Messi in midfield is most likely going to make them prone to being overrun, but that’s debatable since Sergio Busquets is a reliable protector of the defence.
While just signing Dembele alone is unlikely to solve all the problems with the team, it certainly will plug some of the gaps in midfield while not hampering the attack too much. Barcelona’s defence and bench strength will still not be up to the mark, but the signing of Dembele would be like killing two birds one stone.
And why would Barcelona not want that?
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