Special Issue of Golden Globe Awards: Dembele s ten years of life, from a talented "problem boy" to a golden ball crown

From becoming famous at a young age to being recognized as "injuring Zhongyong", from being swept by a wealthy family to returning to PSG to stepping onto the top of the golden ball, it should be said that the 28-year-old Dembele has experienced too much. At the age of 20, he created a sky-high transfer fee of 150 million euros, which was once the hope of Barcelona; however, frequent injuries, rebellious personality, and lazy attitude accompanied him through the journey of Camp Nou. Just when people thought that the Frenchman was so talented, just as Mbappe left the Paris Building and collapsed, he suddenly led the team to the top of the Champions League and successfully slapped those who were not optimistic about him in the face and fulfilled his talent. Although, this is a few years late.

The talent is full, and becoming famous at a young age is different from many stories of "latecomer". Dembele's success has begun since childhood. Before the age of 8, I was exposed to regular youth training and joined the Rennes Club youth training camp at the age of 13. The start was very smooth. Although his family conditions are average, the local scouting system is particularly developed, which did not lead to him being buried and embarking on the road of football. When he was 18 years old, Dembele was a little worried because Rennes could hardly give him enough chance to play, so he thought of leaving. Rennes executive director Sylvester personally visited and persuaded him, and he signed a new contract.

Ren is right. After the director took the initiative in person, Dembele's chances of playing gradually increased. From his debut against Angers to his debut against Bordeaux, he played 29 times throughout the season and scored 12 goals. You know, he had just grown up at that time!

Speedly, Dortmund, who had a unique vision in the summer window of 2016, started with Dortmund, snatched Dembele from Rennes, making it difficult for the club to refuse 15 million euros. In this way, Dembele took off his hometown team's military uniform and officially put on a "yellow robe".

After coming to Dortmund, he continued his good form, with his debut (versus Mainz), first goal (victory Wolfsburg), first championship (Germany Cup, Dembele scored and won), and his personal fame is getting bigger and bigger. At that time, professional media such as team newspapers and picture newspapers called him "New Demon Star in Football" and "First Talent Holder". Indeed, the rapid breakthrough and dazzling dribbling are too convincing. Dembele has too many advantages.

10 goals in 49 games were the report card handed over by Dembele. Although it doesn't look so "bright", his actual value is much larger than the number. At that time, many wealthy families also sent invitations, and his agency team was the "busiest" person in the Green Field World.

Joining Camp Nou, it was difficult to evaluate the years, but it appeared almost at the same time as the talent display, which was Dembele's inertia. Indulge in games, be late for training, and do not listen to the arrangements of the coaching staff. At that time, many people defended him: it is difficult to control geniuses or not, otherwise, they would not be geniuses.

In 2017, Dembele, who was 20 years old, joined Barcelona, ​​and Camp Nou became the biggest winner in buying him. Although they won, the price paid by Camp Nou is really not low. The sky-high price of 150 million euros shocked people. This is an important issue for their huge costs in the future. I don’t know if the review is made, the Barcelona executives will give this transaction a few points.

It is a wonderful start. In September 2017, Barcelona started in the 5-0 Espanyol match, contributing one exquisite assist, allowing people to see the possibility of Camp Nou reorganizing the peak attack group. However, the next thing was not the beauty that continued. A thigh muscle strain caused him to be forced to rest for three months. At that time, it was only a week before his debut in La Liga.

This injury trouble also caused Dembele to be familiar with, adapt and recover throughout the season. He scored only 4 goals in 24 games, which is hard to say that he is efficient, and it is not what club supporters expect him to be. Fortunately, he completed a key counterattack goal in the Super Cup, helping the team win Sevi to win the championship, which helped Dembele win some votes of confidence. In the 2018/19 season after

, he scored 14 goals in 42 times, and his condition has recovered a little. Then the old problems of muscle tear, to ankle injury, and then to hamstring loss broke out. Dembele missed almost all the games. The La Liga Champions League combined only had 5 starts and 1 goal contribution. Compared with the transfer fee of 150 million euros, it was too eye-catching. At that time, some people called him a "square-money" and Barcelona's money was wasted. The following two seasons are almost a replica of these two seasons. Dembele first returned to the game and slowly recovered his form; then he quickly retreated and retired with a free battle card to cultivate, especially the serious hamstring injury in 2020, which caused him to rest for half a season.

However, even in such a scattered time of playing, Dembele still "sweeps" the achievements of La Liga assist king (2021/22) and the extraordinary king (2022/23), which made Barcelona's senior executives and fans very confused. Should we continue to trust his talents or give up on him?

Perhaps it was financial issues that led to Barcelona choosing the latter. After the 2023 football match, Barcelona chose to break up with him, and the 150 million euro gentleman officially left the Camp Nou. In more than five years, he won 7 championship trophys in Barcelona, ​​and his 185-game match score of 40 goals and 42 assists is definitely inconsistent with people's expectations for him. At the end, he seemed to have become the "small" player in people's mouth.

joined Paris, and the energy accumulation before the transformation was accumulated

when Dembele left, and too much injury caused his personal talent to have no room to display. In addition, Mbappe's transfer and leaving was no longer in mind and "all in a mess" seemed to have come to the eve of the collapse, which was almost an even worse choice. But unexpectedly, the story of Dembele has just begun.

Although the outside world does not recognize him, Dembele still maintains an "optimistic" attitude, which played a key role in his later counterattack. 50.4 million transfer fee, high salary, and signing until 2028 are the benefits given by PSG. Dembele is grateful for this. He also talked about this issue many times in various interviews. It was the support and enthusiasm of the Paris boss who touched him (and of course the salary) and wanted to create new stories together.

Mbappe was leaving and gave Dembele a "opportunity". He made contributions in the 6th round of the first season. After assisting G-Ramos to score, he hugged and celebrated with his teammates, which officially started his PSG dream search journey. Then in the 13th round, Dembele received assists from his teammates and completed his debut goal. The 17 starts of 3 goals and 8 assists throughout the season are indeed just a fair match in Ligue 1. It seems that people don’t see anything special about this “Barcelona abandoned player”. Even compared with Mbappe and Neymar, it’s a bit of a difference.

Perhaps the fate has been decided long ago. Dembele's personal performance in the Cup is really much better than the league. He assisted Li Gangren in the Super Cup to score; Dembele made another steal and instigated the offense to help Pereira and Fabian score. PSG defeated Brest and Nice and successfully advanced. More importantly, in the Champions League, Paris was very interesting to meet Dembele's two exes after breaking through in the group. In the match against Barcelona, ​​he scored a goal in the first round and scored an equalizer in the second round, helping the team advance successfully and breaking his 19-game goal drought.

This also laid the groundwork for him to reach the peak later.

But afterwards, he was blocked by his opponents 1-0 and was banned by his opponents without any temper. What's even more fatal is that Dembele missed an excellent opportunity in the first round, which also led to his criticism after the game.

Similar to the problem when he was at Barcelona, ​​Dembele won the assists of the season, and Paris also returned to the position of Ligue 1 overlord as promised, but whether it was for the club or himself, he always felt that "something was missing".

Mbappe ran away, and the new king officially ascended the throne

In this case, Mbappe finally transferred and ran away to Real Madrid without a visa. At that time, many French fans and PSG supporters thought the sky had fallen. The main force he trained for many years left. What should they do next to continue the momentum of hard work for so many years? How can we continue to pursue the Champions League dream?

Demberle gave fans peace of mind with his actual performance: Don't worry, the "best me" is coming soon.

Maybe it was suppressed by the big brother Messi when he was in Barcelona, ​​or maybe it was occupied by Mbappe when he started in Paris. Dembele always showed talent but could not play out. This is also the only "hot flame" that those who support him have remained. Of course, this time, after Mr. Mu left, he finally had the opportunity to confirm whether this flame could start a prairie fire or a false hollow. On the final night of June 1, the game that hurts the heart of the Blue and Black Legion gave a good answer. The new king ascended the throne, perhaps he really needed "exploiting space".

The record of 51 appearances throughout the season can be regarded as a report card that Dembele has never submitted. From a "problem boy" to a "diligent player", his transformation is revealed in the moment of every game. 34 goals and 15 assists are just cold data single. The change behind it is really hard for many professionals to imagine that at the age of 27, he can actually realize his former talent.

This season, Dembele went from being a brainless boy who only knows how to eat raw and accelerate, to a real pseudo-Nine attacker. Ambushing the penalty area, waiting for an opportunity to cooperate with teammates, flashing and moving in a small range, and converting in a large range of scheduling and transformation, everything is available, which also makes Paris's offense quickly active. The center player was helped by his BUFF, and the midfielder in the back row also scored a lot of points with Dembele's bonus. With that, Enrique was satisfied. The great improvement in shooting efficiency is also unexpected. The former king of sprinters has increased his shooting rate by 19 percentage points this season. The success rate of touching balls in the penalty area has reached 89%, and the number of touches has increased by 35%. It can be seen that he is not afraid of responsibility and is taking the initiative to take responsibility. This is the style of the new king of PSG.

More importantly, the boy who was lazy in training in the past actually became the person who contributed the most to the defense of Paris' forward line. The average number of presses per game is nearly 7, the success rate is 50%. There are 3.2 successes in the opponent's half-time 3.5 times. Dembele is really not the "Internet addiction boy" we are familiar with. In addition, in 15 Champions League tours, his running distance reached 126.11 kilometers, and his speed was at his former level of 33.92km/h (highest), which can be said to be "neither want it."

In this way, God helps the self-help, his path to success has officially begun. Of course, don’t forget that Dembele is a person with a full-level talent!

vs. Liverpool, Dembele participated in high-pressures with 12 times, helping Enrique to block Slott's routine and return it to the other side. In addition, creating excellent opportunities for 4 times and pulling the score back to the same starting line by 1 time is his contribution to the attacking end. Although eliminating the Premier League champion only depends on a penalty shootout, Dembele's efforts should not be erased;

vs. Aston Villa, although it is a competition of great differences in strength, under the command and training of Emery, they still created great difficulties for Paris. Thanks to Dembele's two assists in two rounds, it opened up the situation and completely lost the opportunity to counterattack. In addition, the running that exceeded 10 kilometers in both games was also very active;

vs. Arsenal, a team that has always been a newcomer and has a full-level talent. Dembele showed his strength as the "older generation". One goal and one assist were perfect, and Arteta had no temper when playing. His performance was also praised by the media after the game. At that time, some people said that he would be a key contributor to Paris's championship this season.

As expected, against Inter Milan in the final, Dembele put a huge pressure on Inzaghi on both offense and defense. The 14 counterattacks in the frontcourt almost drove the goalkeeper of the Blues and Blacks crazy, causing them to completely lose their former stability. The two assists are the team's quick score, and the advantage is guaranteed. You must know that even if you are intercepted and sent the ball, it is difficult. As long as Paris is difficult to score, Inter Milan has a countermeasure. Unfortunately, how could Dembele give them such a chance?

For this reason, 5-0, the value of Paris's top dream of Dembele was finally recognized.

I wonder what Dembele was thinking about that night when the bright lights of the Allianz Stadium poured on him, when the deafening cheers were only for him and his team, and when the fingertips really touched the cold and sacred curve of the Big Ear Cup? What kind of picture will appear when thousands of thoughts pass by my mind?

Is it the young teenager who can't sleep because of the interweaving excitement and fear in Rennes' dormitory? How did his infinite longing for the future and his panic about leaving home hit his heart that was throbbing for the first time?

is the first time I stepped into the Camp Nou in a red and blue battle robe, as if the whole world was surrendering to my feet. Is the excitement that dreams are within reach? The 150 million euros worth is not only a crown, but also a heavy cross that has been pressed on its shoulders from that moment on.

Is it the complex mood of joy and loneliness that coexist with the Gaul rooster to the top of the world, but because of its little contribution, it is in the boiling and celebrating crowd? Honor belongs to the collective, but the inner waves can only be savored by themselves.

Or was it the moment when Mbappe left the team immediately after switching to Paris? Opportunities and challenges once again test this genius who was once tricked by fate in the most violent way.

However, at this moment, all the confusion, struggle, doubt and loneliness turned into the most crystal dew on the trophy and evaporated into the night sky of Munich. He deserves all the praise, and he fulfills his long-sleeping talent.

This may confirm some of people's expectations: under the shadow of superstars, the new king's edge must always be dormant. Once covered by Messi's light, and once again looking for coordinates in Mbappe's rhythm, Dembele's football path seems to always be making footnotes for others. Until today, when he truly possesses infinite space and absolute trust and becomes the most dazzling star in the Paris night sky, he finally completely tempers his extraordinary talent into a worldly achievement and wins this reproachable achievement with his own hands.

The Golden Ball was crowned, Dembele's football career has been successful since then, and there are no regrets. Ten years passed by, and he stumbled forward from a regrettable "problem boy" and finally stepped into the highest hall of the Golden Globe Awards ceremony. This road has been far longer, more difficult and more brilliant than the world imagined.

(Li Pengpeng)