FC Barcelona faces injury woes as Frenkie de Jong and Pedri succumb to injuries ahead of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg clash against Napoli.
Nonetheless, one former player who has left his injury woes is Ousmane Dembélé. The Frenchman departed Barcelona last summer, and one of the concerns when he came to Paris Saint-Germain was his injury history.
However, more than halfway into his first season with the Ligue 1 side, Dembélé has not dealt with injuries. As a result, SPORT’s Alex Calaff noted his shock that the 26-year-old has played the entire 2023-24 season with no major injuries, something he couldn’t do at Barcelona.
“Ousmane Dembélé continues to be the footballer in Paris that he showed himself to be at Barça,” Calaff wrote. “With privileged conditions to determine matches, a unique ability to dribble, but with irregularity and a lack of consistency that did not allow him to fully exploit everything he promised. But at PSG, he has left behind one of his tormentors in Barcelona: injuries.
“The French winger, who missed 19 games and was injured for 89 days last season with the Barça club, has not yet been injured in Paris . And that is great news for a footballer who bases practically his entire game on his explosiveness.”
Although Dembélé has struggled in the goal-scoring department, he has cornered the assist market. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has registered 11 assists this season for PSG across all competitions.
With Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. gone, the Parisians needed someone to fill their role in creating scoring chances, which Dembélé has filled.
