Ousmane Dembele's ascendency from unfulfilled potential to unrivalled performer was recognised on Monday when he was crowned the Men's Ballon d'Or winner.
It was the culmination of a journey that has seen the French forward be a bit-part in several star-studded teams without being its standout. A World Cup winner with France, a collector of medals in Germany, Spain and at home. Always in the team photo, but with the focus always on other teammates.
That the Frenchman possessed the potential to be the world's best player was never a conversation. Dembele even conceded in his acceptance speech that the Ballon d'Or "has not really been an objective for me in my career". Talented, yes, that much was obvious from his early days at Rennes and Borussia Dortmund. Better than the rest though?
His former coach at Barcelona, Xavi, said that, if used properly, Dembele could be the best player in the world. Though no doubt meant as words of encouragement, there were undercurrents. A trope of Dembele's career is that he lacked the desire and discipline to make full use of his potential. At that point, in 2021, Xavi was probably right.
Those doubts were put to bed in 2024/25. It's easy to think of Paris Saint-Germain as the perfect, well-oiled machine it is now, given all that has been achieved, but that wasn't the feeling at the start of last season.
Kylian Mbappe, the club's record goalscorer, had just been sold to Real Madrid. The player the Parisians had put their faith in had deserted them, dismayed by the PSG project that promised so much but could never deliver the one piece of silverware most coveted – the European Cup.
Mbappe's departure marked the end of PSG's gilded project. The turn to youth can be misleading and exaggerated: PSG spent plenty of money signing the best young talent rather than rolling it straight off the production line. Dembele was on the books but peripheral, an afterthought, a star that faded before it had been given a chance to shine. Most usually do when they enter Mbappe's orbit, swallowed up by his gravitational force. With Mbappe in the team, Dembele was shunted to the right wing. He now has a central attacking role, a false nine able to roam and be more involved in the buildup.
The game that defined his new role was also the one that defined the new PSG era. Never has a European Cup final been so utterly one-sided as PSG's 5-0 dismantling of Inter Milan in last season's showpiece.
The press was oppressive, Inter choked into submission before they could get going. Leading the charge was Dembele. Every time Inter tried to take a goal kick the first sight Yann Sommer or his centre-backs saw was of Dembele poised on the 18-yard line waiting to be unleashed. Inter's defence were terrified to touch the ball lest they unleash the tiger. Hitting the ball long never seemed so attractive.
It's easy to forget Demeble wasn't even one of PSG's five goalscorers that night, but his contribution was just as telling. PSG had their new talisman. Potential had made way for potency.
Mbappe's departure was PSG and Dembele's big bang moment. A new universe was created, the cosmos concentrated on the collective, not the individual. PSG are champions of Europe, Dembele the world's best player. Mbappe won nothing of note at Real Madrid in his first season. He wasn't even a consideration for the Ballon d'Or.
Dembele's 2024/25 was, to use football parlance, a game of two halves. Only eight goals were scored before Christmas, 27 after. By comparison, Mohamed Salah's brace against Tottenham on December 22 were his 14th and 15th league goals of the season, making the Liverpool forward the first player to reach double digits in both goals and assists before Christmas. Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal had scored six (one in the Champions League, five in La Liga).
Dembele's 51 goal involvements were more than twice his previous best in a single campaign; his 35 goals were 21 more than he had managed before. Dembele helped PSG win a Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Champions League treble, before also reaching the final of the Club World Cup.
On Monday, Dembele saw off Salah, saw off Yamal, saw off the rest of his PSG teammates. He rewarded the faith shown in him by Luis Enrique, his PSG coach he described as a father figure.
More importantly, he stepped out of Mbappe's shadow.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.
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ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The%20Killer
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Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Company%20Profile
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The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
