90min

Ousmane Dembele names Real Madrid star as best 'one-on-one' winger in the world

Ousmane Dembele has become a fan-favourite at Barcelona again after helping them win La Liga. Xavi often hails him as the best winger in the world, but the Frenchman has diverted praise to a Real Madrid rival.

By Sean Walsh

Dembele was generous in his praise
Dembele was generous in his praise / David Ramos/GettyImages
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Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele has played down suggestions that he is the best winger in the world, instead diverting praise to Real Madrid counterpart Vinicius Junior.

Dembele has rediscovered his best form ever since Xavi became head coach of La Blaugrana back in November 2021.

He had been expected to leave Barça when his contract expired last summer but changed his mind and signed a new deal at Camp Nou.

Dembele's contributions helped Barcelona win a first La Liga title in four years during the 2022/23 season.

This success led to Xavi hailing Dembele as the best winger in the world. During an interview with MARCA, the France international was asked about his manager's comments.

"I don't know, I don't know...it's the coach," Dembele shrugged off, before revealing his admiration of rival Vinicius and Milan forward Rafael Leao.

"I'm always there to help the team with goals and assists, but I can't say that I'm the best one-on-one because there are other very good players in that facet, like Vinicius or Leao, who are very good footballers."

"I really like having the confidence of the coach. All the players, if they have the confidence of the coach and the staff, can improve and feel comfortable."

Dembele went on to praise Xavi for uniting the dressing room - a factor which ultimately led to a successful title challenge.

"It is the key to winning titles. If there are a lot of problems in a locker room, the team suffers, and that's not good. Now, Barcelona is a family, with many youngsters and also veterans. There is a very good atmosphere in the team," he added.

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