The name of Ousmane Dembélé is undoubtedly one of the least fondly remembered by FC Barcelona fans. The player from Vernon, whose time at the Blaugrana club will be remembered for being filled more with sorrows than glories, especially for that unforgettable and resounding miss at Anfield against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League semifinals. Additionally, he will be remembered for spending more time injured than playing minutes on the field, where he also did not have many noteworthy performances.
Even after his departure from the Catalan club, the 'Mosquito' has continued to accumulate the repulsion of Barça supporters. How is this possible? Beyond his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and the way he left the Barcelona club for a meager amount of 50 million euros, of which he and his agent took half, we all remember his recent encounter with FC Barcelona in the Champions League.
In that tie, although it is understandable that as a PSG player his goal was to breach Barcelona's defense, Dembélé seemed to ignore his past at the Barcelona entity and celebrated fervently both his goals and the elimination of the team he once represented, in a celebration clearly aimed towards mockery.
The brutal economic impact of Dembélé's signing on Barça
Recently, a new reason has emerged for him to garner even more discontent from Barça fans. Not necessarily his fault, but rather the management of Josep Maria Bartomeu, refers to the real costs of his signing in 2017. Initially, the investment was estimated at 105 million euros, but according to new information provided by the German newspaper 'BILD', the incorporation of 'Dembouz' has ended up costing FC Barcelona the impressive sum of 148 million euros, including additional payments to Borussia Dortmund for bonuses and variables fulfilled in the operation.
This highlights the lack of success in Ousmane Dembélé's signing by Barça. Despite the high investment, his contributions in terms of goals (40) and assists (43) in the matches played (185) were truly insufficient. With this, the Frenchman ranks as one of the most expensive acquisitions in the club's history, sharing the podium with other equally unfortunate signings like Philippe Coutinho or Antoine Griezmann.
The only good news from Ousmane's departure to PSG
Fortunately, the departure of the former Borussia Dortmund player, despite representing a great economic loss for FC Barcelona, has been extremely positive for the team. Why? His exit paved the way for the emergence of the Barça 'jewel', Lamine Yamal, a 'crack' who is standing out with remarkable and enthusiastic performances, making Dembélé's memory quickly fade away. Had he stayed at the club, Ousmane would likely have hindered the meteoric rise of the Rocafonda player.