Dembélé: I lost five years of my life between 2017 and 2021

Between 2017 and 2022, many have accomplished a lot. For example, Real Madrid have won the Champions League three times, Manchester City have won the Premier League four times. However, in a positive sense, this period certainly cannot be taken by Ousmane Dembélé, who sees it as an enormous waste of time.

In 2016, he transferred to Dortmund for €35 million as a big talent and immediately confirmed his quality. In his first year with Borussia, he netted 10 goals and added 17 assists and caught the attention of all the big clubs.

This appealed to Barcelona and after just one year of Dembélé in Germany, they bought him out for an astronomical 125 million euros. Dembélé was supposed to be the new star of the Catalans for years to come, but his engagement at the Camp Nou certainly didn’t go to plan.

His entire time at Barcelona was riddled with constant injuries, with him spending more time on the sidelines than on the pitch. In the 2019/20 season, for example, he played just five games in La Liga. He continued to be accused of a poor lifestyle, eating in fast food restaurants and playing on the playstation at night, according to the club.

Thus, in five years in the Blaugranas jersey, he has only featured in 150 games, a small number indeed. He managed 50 games in just one year at Borussia. In an interview with the French daily RMC, he revisits this period.

Five years of his life lost

“I was young, just like everyone was at one time. But I managed to get out of that situation. However, nothing was as people imagined. From 2017 to 2021, I lost an enormous amount of time. I lost five years of my life,” recalls Dembélé.

The situation around the French striker was quite heated last year. His five-year contract was up in June and the 25-year-old did not want to renew it. Barcelona decided to shut him down in the winter and not let him play games until he signed a new contract, only for Xavi to come to the rescue.

The new coach gave Dembélé confidence, relied on him in the starting lineup, brought in his big friend Aubameyang, with whom he got along on and off the pitch, and Dembélé flourished.

During the spring he accumulated a 2+11 record, while in the autumn he had only two assists. In the summer, he extended his contract for two years until June 2024.

“With Xavi’s trust, I felt obliged to stay. I’m very motivated for Barcelona to win the Champions League again. The club has not won it for seven years,” Dembélé recalled.

Source: RMC, MARCA