The French international Ousmane Dembele recently opened up on his decision to leave FC Barcelona and he believes that it was the right decision to make. The answer was quite predictable from the PSG forward as he has won two back-to-back UCL titles with the club. He even won the Ballon D’or award in 2025 and there is nothing more that a player could ask for in club football. Despite FC Barcelona being his favourite club while growing up, he knew that the decision to leave the club had to be taken and Luis Enrique had shown interest in signing him as well.

“In my case, I felt it was time to leave the club, even though I was very attached to Barça, whom I’ve supported since I was a child. But for me, it was important to sign for Paris Saint-Germain; I spoke to Luis Enrique, who’d wanted me for a long time and whom I know well,” said Ousmane Dembele on leaving FC Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain. It was a difficult decision for him to make as he was attached emotionally with the club but for his career, the transfer simply had to happen.

From injury struggles at Barcelona to UCL glory with PSG

“Yes, I remember it very well. I was on tour in Los Angeles with Barcelona when Luis Enrique rang me; He explained his plans, his vision of my role in his team and how he saw our future together at Paris Saint-Germain. His words convinced me straight away,” added Ousmane Dembele on how Luis Enrique’s plan encouraged him to join the Ligue 1 giants.

Ousmane Dembele’s career at FC Barcelona was probably the worst period of club football that he had played as he was out with injuries most of the time. The fans themselves used to make memes around his injury concerns and nothing seemed to be working well for the player. The pressure was even more higher as FC Barcelona were not just searching for a winger but for a player to fill in the shoes of Neymar. A move had to be made for the French forward before he wasted more time with the Catalunians.

PSG were one of those clubs who dominated their league every year but they fell short of the UEFA Champions League title almost every year. They signed Neymar, Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma,.etc to just get the side to win the title but it didn’t happen. PSG resorted to a more balanced young team that was built from scrap with a couple of homegrown talents. Ousmane Dembele’s inclusion was to shift away from the traditional robotic winger type to more of a playmaker and he succeeded in his role very well.

Ousmane Dembele helped PSG win the UCL title in 2025 with a brilliant display throughout the tournament and he carried it on to the UCL 2026 as well, to win consecutive championships. He will be delighted with the tough decision that it had made as even though it was against his childhood dream, it brought out the best in him.