Dembélé: Messi Is the Best Player I've Ever Seen

PSG's French star Ousmane Dembélé came onto the football world's agenda with his statement to Spanish newspaper Marca. The current Ballon d'Or holder French star used sincere expressions for Lionel Messi, considered the greatest player of his generation. Dembélé described the Argentine legend as "the best player I've ever seen" and stated that the 38-year-old star's chance of winning the 2026 World Cup is still serious.

Dembélé's words in his interview with Marca, in his own statement: "He's the best player in history!" Beyond such past praise, this time the 28-year-old French star made a more personal emphasis; he evaluated Messi as the best player he had witnessed in his football career. In his statement, he praised Messi's superior performance despite his age, saying "He's 38 but he's still fantastic, dangerous; his quality never gets old." The French star also reminded of Argentina's danger in the tournament with the expression "We have to be all very careful, Leo can still win the World Cup." goal

This statement can also be read as a reflection of the long-standing relationship between the two stars. Dembélé and Messi played together at Barcelona for four seasons between 2017-2021. During this period, the two players became important parts of the attacking line; Dembélé made positive comments about Messi's professionalism and game intelligence in many of his interviews. Messi's support for Dembélé was also not forgotten: the Argentine star had voted for Dembélé in the 2025 FIFA Men's Best Player award.

Currently, both players are at different stages of their careers. Dembélé settled at the top of world football by winning the Ballon d'Or after the historic season in which he won the Champions League title with PSG. Placed at the top of ESPN's ranking of the 50 best players at the 2026 World Cup, the Frenchman will form the attacking trio with Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise at the France national team in the tournament. Messi, on the other hand, despite playing for the Inter Miami team in MLS at 38, comes to the tournament as the technical and emotional leader of Lionel Scaloni's Argentina squad.

The reigning world champion Argentina will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Group J at the 2026 World Cup. La Albiceleste's tournament opening match will be played against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16. France, on the other hand, will start their tournament journey in Group C under Mbappé's leadership. Dembélé's comment also highlights the emotional intensity that semi-final or final scenarios would create in the football world if both teams progress towards the end of the tournament.

It should be recalled that Messi lifted the cup at the 2022 Qatar World Cup by beating France, in which Dembélé played, on penalties in the final. Therefore, the 2026 tournament contains the possibility of a rematch for both Dembélé and Messi. The French star's statements stand out as a beautiful example of the culture of respect and rivalry in the football world.

Source: Marca.

Image: marca.com