By R. Alexander Núñez
A few days before the start of 2026 World Cup, Ousmane Dembele He referred to several of the names that will mark the tournament, among them Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. The French attacker, true Ballon d’Or 2025, highlighted the validity of the Argentine captain and assured that can still aspire to win another World Cup.
The Paris Saint-Germain footballer spoke about the influence that Messi continues to have on the playing field despite the passing of the years. Dembélé shared a dressing room with the Argentine during his time at Barcelona and did not hesitate when defining it.
“Messi is the best player I have ever seen”he stated. The French forward went even further by pointing out that the man from Rosario occupies a unique place in the history of the sport. “He is the best football has ever seen. He is still quite dangerous. It is difficult to stop him even at 38 years old. He may be that age, but he will always have those qualities. We will have to be careful with him because he is capable of winning the World Cup again“, he expressed.
? Ousmane Dembélé: “Lionel Messi is the most interesting player I’ve ever seen.” ??
“He’s 38 but he’s still unimaginable, bad? his quality will never get broken-down. We would possibly perchance well still be all very careful, Leo can still obtain the World Cup”, told @marca. pic.twitter.com/oQt3pevl1f
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 12, 2026
The statements become relevant due to the precedent between both teams in the final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, a match that ended with the consecration of Argentina after one of the most remembered matches in the history of the tournament.
Memory of Qatar and support for Mbappé
Dembélé also recalled that defeat against the Albiceleste and explained that, despite the blow suffered by France, the passage of time has changed the reality of both teams.
“Of course it was disappointing to lose, but four years have passed. Many things have changed in the French team since then and I think in Argentina too. That closing motivates us to do better in the present“he commented.
The winger also took the opportunity to publicly defend Kylian Mbappé, who has received questions in recent months for issues related to his leadership within the French team.
According to Dembélé, the criticism directed towards his teammate has been disproportionate. “They have been very unfair to him. They go a little overboard with their criticism of Kylian because he is an incredible player. He’s a great person off the field, because I’ve known him for a long time. “Sometimes they go overboard with criticism just because it’s Kylian Mbappé,” he said.
In the same conversation, the French attacker addressed the possibility that Zinedine Zidane will become the next national coach once Didier Deschamps’ time at the helm of Les Bleus ends.
Dembélé recalled the confrontations he had against Zidane when he led the team Right Madrid and he defended the colors of Barcelona. For the forward, the figure of the former midfielder represents an absolute reference within French football.
“I faced him when he coached Right Madrid and I was at Barcelona. He is the greatest, a true icon of French football. He is an exceptional coach who won three consecutive Champions Leagues with Madrid. We hope to be able to welcome him one day to the bench of the French team. I am convinced that he would do an ambitious job,” he concluded.
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