2026 World Cup: Ousmane Dembélé, from inconsistent winger to indispensable leader

04.07.26 FT World Cup

Paraguay

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France

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Ousmane Dembélé is reaching new heights with Les Bleus. The Parisian winger is becoming increasingly decisive, much to the delight of Didier Deschamps and French supporters.

After a hat-trick against Norway at the World Cup, the two-time European champion with Paris Saint-Germain now boasts 11 goals in 62 appearances. He has already made 5 goal contributions at this World Cup (4 goals and 1 assist).

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With 5 decisive actions in just 213 minutes played against Senegal, Iraq, and Norway, the Vernon native has become a key figure in the French squad, averaging a goal every 43 minutes.

Comparing his stats to those from 2018 to 2024 in major tournaments—World Cup and Euro combined—he had not scored a single goal and managed only two assists in 998 minutes, which equates to a contribution every... 499 minutes.

France will face the third-placed team from Group F or G on June 30, 2026, at MetLife Stadium, New York. Didier Deschamps will certainly hope to have Ousmane Dembélé performing at his best as Les Bleus chase a third consecutive World Cup final appearance.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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