There is a certain similarity between Ousmane Dembélé (27) and Ronaldinho – not only in terms of the clubs for which they played, but also in terms of playing style, as the Brazilian told L'Equipe.
Both Ronaldinho and have played for Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, even as the order in which they played for the clubs, is reversed. Dembélé had a consistent, albeit not explosive first season in PSG after his big money movement from Barcelona, but he brought his game to the next level this season.
The France International has been discussed for a large part of its career for its lack of end product and has in an exceptional target core form in recent months. No player in the top five in Europe has scored more than the Stade Rennais Academy product in 2025 and with 32 goals in 40 games in all matches this season, he has put himself in the race for the Ballon d'Or, a prize that Ronaldinho won in 2005.
The Brazilian sees a bit of himself in Dembélé, even when he escaped a direct comparison. “I don't like to compare too much … But there is Ousmane Dembélé at PSG. I really like him,” Ronaldinho started when asked what the current player is most similar to his playing style.
He added: “He has a bit of a Brazilian style! He throws you out of balance, he is inventive, he provokes, he is often illegible and he also scores a lot of goals, explodes in a role other than he had on PSG last year or even before in Barcelona.”
The recent target scores form of Dembélé is attributed to a recent change in positioning. The Frenchman, described as “the most destabilizing player in the world” last season by Luis Enrique, did not spend the rest of his career on the right. It is a repositioning that has had a considerable effect and one that now sees Dembélé included in the Ballon d'Or interview.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
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