Ousmane Dembele in prime position to bolster case for second Ballon d'Or

Four years ago in Qatar Lionel Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory while Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick in the final earned him the tournament's Golden Boot. On the other side, Ousmane Dembele — once viewed as a talent who could one day reopen the GOAT debate — produced a display in Lusail so poor that L'Equipe did not even give him a rating.

Dembele's pace had long posed problems for defenders, but he was often profligate and unreliable in big games. His miss in Barcelona's 2019 Champions League semi-final remains emblematic, and in the World Cup final Angel Di Maria ran down his side, won the penalty and later made it 2-0; Didier Deschamps replaced Dembele after 41 minutes.

Commentators described the showing as a "car crash" and "the worst game" they'd seen from a professional. Since leaving Barcelona in 2023 with his reputation damaged, Dembele has rebuilt his standing at Paris Saint-Germain under Luis Enrique.

Qatar, Lusail

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