Ousmane Dembele marked his return to the pitch as Paris Saint-Germain crushed Inter Miami 4-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Reunited with several familiar faces, the French forward took the chance to speak openly about Lionel Messi after meeting the Argentine once again.
After Neymar’s departure from PSG, Dembele was expected to fill his role at Barcelona, but injuries severely hampered his time in Spain. Despite the setbacks, Dembele still holds fond memories of his former teammates, especially Messi.
Before the 2022 World Cup final, Dembele spoke candidly to FIFA’s official website about his time with Messi: “I had four great years at Barcelona with Messi. I’m very happy I had him as a teammate. He’s very calm in the locker room, but he helped me a lot when I arrived. I arrived at Barcelona at 20 years old and I liked to dribble. He would tell me to be more patient with my timing on dribbles and passes.”
Now, with Messi wearing the PSG shirt once again, Dembele shared a heartfelt message alongside a photo of the two on Instagram. “Great to see you again, @leomessi — the greatest of all time… Hopefully you keep making history with Inter Miami like you did in this Club World Cup,” he wrote.
Dembele has long acknowledged Messi as the greatest player in history. But beyond admiration, the PSG star has highlighted Messi’s profound impact both at Inter Miami and in this first edition of the revamped Club World Cup.
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Messi had supported Dembele during his peak years in Europe, helping him improve. Now, in the twilight of his career at Inter Miami, Dembele has witnessed firsthand the lasting mark Messi continues to make on soccer history and his own career.
Dembele’s reunion with Barcelona teammates
Dembele faced harsh criticism from media and fans during his time in Spain. However, he found support from his Barcelona teammates, whom he reunited with at Inter Miami.
Asked about the reunion in the mixed zone, Dembele said: “Very well. I’m glad to have seen them — Messi, Jordi Alba, (Luis) Suarez, (Sergio) Busquets, Mascherano, and even Pepe, whom I know. So it’s a pleasure to see them and meet again.”
