Spain: Dembélé gives Unai Simon headaches

14.07.26 FT World Cup

France

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Spain

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Tomorrow, Unai Simon will have the tough task of keeping Spain's goal intact against the French team in the semi-final of this 2026 World Cup.

The Spanish shot-stopper will certainly have his work cut out for him against the magical trio of Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé. When asked to pick the most unpredictable among the three, Spain's last line of defense pointed to the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner.

"Dembélé is the most unpredictable, because he can use both feet equally well. Kylian has many different qualities, but Dembélé has them with both feet, whether it's crossing or shooting from any area. That's extremely tough for a goalkeeper. (...) If one of them is bearing down on me, who would I rather face? I'd rather there be a defender in front of him. In fact, I'd rather there be none of them at all (smiles)," Simon revealed on the show El Partidazo de Cope.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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