Paris (France) (AFP) – Was the 2026 World Cup just an enchanted interlude for Ousmane Dembélé? Since the start of the Zidane era, the Ballon d'Or has had a string of insipid performances, unworthy of its status, which rekindles the debate on its proper use in the French team.

Published on: 03/10/2026 - 15:42 Modified on: 03/10/2026 - 15:54

After a successful World Cup on a personal level (6 goals), the doubts and questions had dissipated about the PSG striker, finally up to the task during a final phase, his fifth in the blue jersey. The North American tournament seemed to be a turning point for a player who had until then had poor statistics internationally, in total contrast to his performance at club level.

But with the departure of Didier Deschamps and the arrival at the helm of Zinédine Zidane, Dembélé fell back into his ways, struggling to find his right place in the system put in place by the new coach.

Rather confined to the right under Deschamps, the former Rennais (29 years old, 70 caps, 13 goals) is supposed to occupy with Zizou a position of N.9 or false N.9 in a 4-3-3 system, a role which is his at PSG where he is the major element of Luis Enrique's offensive animation.

However, in three outings, including two as a starter, on September 25 in Turkey (1-0) and Friday against Italy at the Stade de France (1-1), Dembélé was transparent, failing to distinguish himself and accumulating quite a surprising amount of waste for a player of his size.

The N.7 clearly failed while with the unavailability due to injury of Kylian Mbappé, it was on his shoulders that a large part of the weight of the French attack had to rest. A technical leadership that he was unable to assume in the absence of the best pyrotechnician in the history of the Blues (67 goals in 107 selections), leaving the top of the bill to Michael Olise, scorer in Belgium (1-0), Monday, and against Italy.

Zidane 'happy' with Dembélé

Facing Roberto Mancini's Nazionale, the man who was one of the main architects of PSG's double European title in the Champions League (2025, 2026) worsened his case by missing a huge opportunity in the second half, alone in front of an imperial Gianglui Donnarumma. At a time when Zidane is clearly displaying his desire to shift Mbappé to the left to install Dembélé up front, this choice is of concern, even if the coach continues to praise the Parisian's performances.

"Ousmane is playing Ousmane, I'm happy with him, he moves a lot on the pitch and he often gets out of his position. I don't have much to reproach him for," said the technician after the match.

Dembélé, for his part, says he is fully satisfied to find the same responsibilities in the selection as in Paris.

- “I can play anywhere.” -

"The coach wants to see all the players in their preferred position, he put me in the position where I play at PSG. I can play everywhere, that doesn't bother me. It's a position that I know. The coach gives me a lot of freedom, that's what I like, being able to win, make decisive passes, score goals," he explained on Thursday, on the eve of the match against the Italians.

“I know I have to score and pass,” he said, aware of the high expectations surrounding him.

His exchange of arms through the media with Mbappé regarding the Ballon d'Or may have put additional pressure on him. Dembélé assured Thursday that "there are no problems" with the superstar of the Blues, to whom he is very close, but according to several media, relations between the two men have clearly cooled following this episode.

In any case, we will have to wait at least until the next rally in November and the recovery of Mbappé to see if the offensive organization put in place by Zidane, with the captain on the left and Dembélé in the axis, is likely to give results and last. Until then, the Parisian would do well to silence the current debates and skepticism during the reception of Belgium on Monday at the Stade de France.

© 2026 AFP

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