Kylian Mbappé officially joined Real Madrid last week after signing a five-year deal with the Spanish giants as he is gearing up to shine as their next big superstar. Nonetheless, the decision to head to Los Blancos didn’t surprise one PSG player.
Ousmane Dembélé completed his first season at Paris Saint-Germain, and one of the surprising aspects was his ability to stay healthy. Despite dealing with injuries during his time with FC Barcelona, that issue didn’t follow him to the French capital.
The 27-year-old played in 42 games this past 2023-24 season, crucially contributing under manager Luis Enrique. Additionally, following Mbappé’s departure this summer, the winger is expected to provide leadership to the youthful team.
While speaking to reporters though, Dembélé noted that his now-former teammate’s decision to leave PSG for Real Madrid didn’t come as a surprise to him.
“We’ve always had a very good relationship, I’ve known him for a long time,” Dembélé said (h/t Le10Sport). “His signing with Real doesn’t shock me. He’s had Real posters since he was little!
“He’s always the same, always smiling. I talk with him all the time. He is focused. He was focused with PSG. We reached the Champions League semi-finals, won three titles in France. He knows the Euro is important. He’s a good captain, a leader, he speaks up. He doesn’t hide, he always tries to push the group. He helps the young players.”
Dembélé and Mbappé will be teammates at UEFA Euro 2024 as the French national team are the favorites to win the competition in Germany.
