Ousmane Dembélé

Ousmane Dembélé is out with a left thigh injury. After Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League match against Barcelona, the club said he had suffered a left thigh injury and would remain in care for the coming weeks [3]. The statement gave no return date. He was born in Vernon, in Normandy, on 15 May 1997 [1], and he won the 2025 Ballon d'Or [2].

From Rennes to the Ligue 1 stage

Dembélé joined the Rennes training centre at 13, and he was picked for French youth teams from the U17 level [12]. He signed his first professional contract on 1 October 2015 [12]. His Ligue 1 debut came at Angers on 6 November 2015, when he was brought on in the 86th minute [12]. His first league goal came against Bordeaux on 22 November 2015 [12].

That season he had 12 goals and five assists, and the French players' union UNFP named him the best young player in Ligue 1 [12]. PSG's profile lists the same award, Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for 2015-16 [1].

Dortmund and a debut season

In May 2016 Borussia Dortmund announced that the 18-year-old had signed a contract running until 30 June 2021 [11]. The club said both parties had agreed to keep all information confidential, so it published no fee [11]. German press put the fee at about 15 million euros, but the figure is unconfirmed [12].

In December 2017 the German players' association presented him with the award for best debutant of the 2016-17 Bundesliga, and he also received a trophy for being in the league's best XI of that season [14].

Barcelona, 2017 to 2023

On 25 August 2017 Barcelona announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Dembélé for 105 million euros plus add-ons. The club also gave a five-year contract and a buy-out clause of 400 million euros [13]. The statement did not give the amount of the add-ons [13].

Barcelona's honours listed on his PSG profile include three Spanish league titles, two Copa del Rey trophies and two Spanish Super Cups [1]. In September 2017 he was hurt in the 29th minute of the match against Getafe. Barcelona's medical statement, dated 17 September 2017, said tests confirmed a tendon rupture in his left thigh, in the biceps femoris. Surgery was scheduled for later that week in Finland, and the expected absence was three and a half to four months [7].

Joining PSG in 2023

On 12 August 2023 PSG signed Dembélé on a five-year deal. The fee was 50.4 million euros, the figure given in Barcelona's statement [15]. Dembélé said: "I'm delighted to be joining Paris Saint-Germain and can't wait to play for my new club" [15].

In the 2024-25 season he scored 21 goals and set up eight in 29 Ligue 1 appearances, and scored eight and set up six in the Champions League [9]. The men's Ballon d'Or was presented on 22 September 2025 [10]. He finished ahead of Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who was second in the voting [9]. PSG's profile lists the 2025 Champions League with PSG, and describes the 2026 title as the club's second consecutive win in the competition [1].

A thigh that has been hurt before

In September 2025 he hurt a hamstring while playing for France in a 2-0 win over Ukraine in World Cup qualifying. He was sidelined for more than a month [8]. In October 2025 PSG named him in the squad for the Champions League trip to Bayer Leverkusen [8].

Rested after the international break

On 9 October PSG announced that Dembélé and Nuno Mendes would rest after the international break and miss the Ligue 1 match against Le Mans the next day. Both were to return to training on 10 October [5]. Luis Enrique, the PSG coach, said the two needed rest to focus on the upcoming Ligue 1 and Champions League matches [5]. He added: "You have to get used to it, because this will be the norm this season" [5].

That was a management decision, not an injury. The same report said the decision did not appear to be about favouritism, and it noted the forward's history of recurring injuries [5].

The thigh injury against Barcelona

The injury came in the Champions League match against Barcelona. Press reports said he came off early in the first half while chasing a ball [4]. The report, which cites PSG's medical statement, said he would be out for weeks [4].

The club's statement did not give a date for his return. It said only that he would remain in care for the coming weeks [3]. Al Jazeera, citing AFP, AP and Reuters, reported on 23 October that he would miss the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on Monday, because PSG's Ligue 1 home match had been moved to the same evening [6].

Ballon d'Or 2026

UEFA lists Dembélé among the 2026 men's nominees, with the ceremony set for 26 October in London [2]. The report also said that several PSG team-mates were nominated with him, and that the Lyon game had been postponed to Monday, after a police request amid violent protests in Paris [6].

Club and country

His PSG profile gives his full name as Masour Ousmane Dembélé and lists him as squad number 10 [1]. It also records him as a France international since September 2016 [1], and as World Cup winner with France in 2018 [1].