Ousmane Dembélé is Ligue 1's latest teenage sensation with a bright future | OneFootball

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Daniel Issroff·25 February 2022

Ousmane Dembélé is Ligue 1's latest teenage sensation with a bright future

Article image:Ousmane Dembélé is Ligue 1's latest teenage sensation with a bright future

It was Ousmane Dembélé’s third and final goal against Nantes that best showcased his ability and his potential. A swift Rennes move from defense to attack saw the youngster receive the ball just inside the opposition half with a single man to beat. Right from his first touch it was obvious that Dembélé smelled blood and he raced into space with only one thing on his mind.


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As he approached the penalty box, he shaped up to shoot on his left foot before cutting sharply inside the defender, taking a quick touch with with his right foot and slotting the ball into the bottom corner. In the space of a few seconds Dembélé had turned a defender inside out, left the goalkeeper on the ground and lifted Roazhon Park into a state of euphoria.

With that first-half hat-trick, the 18-year-old Rennes forward transformed from the talk of Ligue 1 into one of the most in-demand young talents on the continent. Dembélé became the first player ever to record three goals against Nantes in a Derby de la Bretagne and also the youngest man to record a Ligue 1 hat-trick since Jérémy Ménez in 2005. Unsurprisingly, in the weeks that followed Dembélé was linked with a who’s who of Europe’s elite, including Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

It has been a season of records and superlatives for Dembélé as he has exploded onto the scene in the past five months. However, it was just October when the Frenchman was simply another talented youngster in the youth ranks of Stade Rennais, hoping for his chance with the senior side. He only signed his first professional contract in October and made his debut against Angers in November.

In his 15 league starts since then, Dembélé has taken Ligue 1 by storm, tallying 10 goals and five assists. He is Europe’s leading teenage goalscorer and has been directly involved in a goal every 102 minutes. By comparison, Leicester’s Jamie Vardy has been involved in a goal every 101 minutes. It is no wonder then that current Rennes sporting director Mikaël Silvestre has compared Dembélé to a “young Cristiano Ronaldo” and earmarked him as a future winner of the Ballon d’Or.

Confident and versatile, Dembélé is already a remarkably complete attacking player, but beyond his goalscoring ability, his best attribute is his dribbling. He is blessed with long strides and incredible balance that allow him to glide past defenders. He is also aided by a genuine ambidexterity. Dembélé can dribble, shoot and pass almost equally well with both feet, which presents a real challenge to defenders when trying to mark him. If they close down one option, he is all too happy to take the alternative.

Another distinctive feature of his game is that always seems to find space, which is a sure sign of a good player. His sharp and intelligent movement allows him to both pick up possession and turn in front of the defense and also threaten with runs in behind. Once in a dangerous position, he has shown that he can strike from distance, cross and pick out a clever pass.

With such a wide array of skills, it is difficult to find a weakness in the teenager’s game. The temptation with skilful young players is typically to say that they are raw, unrefined and poor decision makers. In the case of Dembélé, however, such assumptions are not entirely accurate. He has a sense of poise and comfort that belies his age and his productivity in the final third and the opportunities he creates are a testament to that.

Perhaps his biggest drawback at the moment is that he often takes unnecessary risks in dangerous areas, preferring to try dribble his way out of pressure even in his own half. He has admitted that he enjoys entertaining the fans and he has a particular affinity for nutmegging his opponents. Such confidence and youthful exuberance is crucial to his style of play, however, and future managers must be careful not to restrict his natural creativity.

With no shortage of suitors around Europe, both Dembélé and his club will have difficult decisions to make in the summer. On one hand, Rennes will be keen to avoid making the same mistake that they did with Yann M’Vila, whom the club held on to for too long, failing to capitalise on his maximum value. On the other hand, Dembélé appears to be very grounded, understanding that his development would be best served at a club with a reputation for developing young talent where he can play regularly.

For now, Dembélé seems focused on helping Rennes qualify for European football next year. “I have to maintain a cool head and concentrate on achieving our objectives for the end of the season,” he said last week before making his debut with the France Under-21 side. He was quick to dispel any notion that he may sneak into the senior side for the Euros, saying simply that, “It’s impossible.” France’s depth in attacking positions means that unfortunately Dembélé is probably right.

However, it is very much possible to envision a not-too-distant future in which Dembélé is starring for France, scoring goals for a top European club and appearing regularly at football award ceremonies. If such circumstances come to pass, people will look back on that hat-trick against Nantes as the moment that he announced himself to the world.