On Thursday, Ousmane Dembele appeared in front of the press next to the Al-Sadd stadium in Doha, where France is preparing for the World Cup final, in a press conference in which he spoke with admiration and respect for his former colleague Leo Messi, his rival in the World Cup final. In addition to his admission that he spoke with Xavi during the tournament
“With Lionel Messi, I had four wonderful years at Barcelona. He is an exceptional player. I always said he was one of the players, along with Iniesta, who made me love Barcelona. I am very happy to have him as a colleague
Asked again about Messi, Dembele stated that he came to Barcelona “at the age of twenty; I liked to dribble and just dribble when I had three opponents in front of me. And every time he would repeat to me that I had to calm down, that sometimes I could go and other times I couldn’t, but I had to calm down and think, that there are moments to dribble and moments to pass the ball. And above all, it gave me that calmness
Dembele confirmed that he feels “very good, very focused since the start of the season” and confirmed that he had been in contact with Xavi. “He encouraged me and told me to keep doing what I’m doing and he’s very happy for me and for Jules as well
The “11” from France confirmed that he enjoys “every match, especially helping Jules in defense, as well as Antoine. When someone cuts a ball or recovers it, we encourage each other. I feel important in the team that helps the group and so far. worked with us
Dembele: Messi taught me to calm down and think
The Barcelona player admitted that the Argentine told him that there were “moments to dribble and moments to pass the ball
He reveals that Xavi encouraged him to continue in the same vein
On Thursday, Ousmane Dembele appeared in front of the press next to the Al-Sadd stadium in Doha, where France is preparing for the World Cup final, in a press conference in which he spoke with admiration and respect for his former colleague Leo Messi, his rival in the World Cup final. In addition to his admission that he spoke with Xavi during the tournament
“With Lionel Messi, I had four wonderful years at Barcelona. He is an exceptional player. I always said he was one of the players, along with Iniesta, who made me love Barcelona. I am very happy to have him as a colleague
“I had a very nice four years with him. And in the locker room he was a very simple person, easy-going, and he helped the little ones a lot. I just arrived and I remember being next to him in the changing room and he gave me a lot of things. It will be difficult to stop him but we will do our best so that he touches the ball as little as possible, etc. because it is very dangerous,” added the Barcelona player
Asked again about Messi, Dembele stated that he came to Barcelona “at the age of twenty; I liked to dribble and just dribble when I had three opponents in front of me. And every time he would repeat to me that I had to calm down, that sometimes I could go and other times I couldn’t, but I had to calm down and think, that there are moments to dribble and moments to pass the ball. And above all, it gave me that calmness
Dembele confirmed that he feels “very good, very focused since the start of the season” and confirmed that he had been in contact with Xavi. “He encouraged me and told me to keep doing what I’m doing and he’s very happy for me and for Jules as well
The “11” from France confirmed that he enjoys “every match, especially helping Jules in defense, as well as Antoine. When someone cuts a ball or recovers it, we encourage each other. I feel important in the team that helps the group and so far. She worked with us
Dembele has played down the fame of some Argentine players. “In football you have to be aggressive, you have to know how to respond with your weapons and hopefully we know how to face them and play a good game
Self-criticism
About his role in the team, Dembele has been self-critical. “I think I can do better, especially on the offensive side. As offensive players we always like to make assists, be decisive or score goals but sometimes the team is more important so every time I go to help Jules or Antoine I tell myself it’s because of the team and I don’t think about my personal stats or all this
Virus is not very harmful
On the virus that has knocked out several of his teammates, Dembele insisted the team are not afraid. “Actually, Dayot (Uppicano) and Adrien (Rabiot) have headaches or stomachaches, and I made them tea with ginger and honey and they were better. No, we are not worried about this and I hope everyone is in good shape and ready for the final
“I went to see Dewt in his room, with the mask on, of course, and he was so much better. And I think everyone will be ready for the final on Sunday,” he insiste
