A few days before the start of the 2026 World Cup, Ousmane Dembélé referred to several of the names that will mark the tournament, including Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. The French attacker, current 2025 Ballon d'Or, highlighted the validity of the Argentine captain and assured that he can still aspire to win another World Cup.

The Paris Saint-Germain footballer spoke about the influence that Messi continues to have on the playing field despite the passing of the years. Dembélé shared a dressing room with the Argentine during his time at Barcelona and did not hesitate when defining it.

“Messi is the best player I have ever seen,” he said. The French forward went even further by pointing out that the man from Rosario occupies a unique place in the history of the sport. "He is the best that has been seen in football. He is still quite dangerous. It is difficult to stop him even at 38 years old. He may be that age, but he will always have those qualities. We will have to be careful with him because he is capable of winning the World Cup again," he expressed.

The statements become relevant due to the precedent between both teams in the final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, a match that ended with the consecration of Argentina after one of the most remembered matches in the history of the tournament.

Memory of Qatar and support for Mbappé

Dembélé also recalled that defeat against the Albiceleste and explained that, despite the blow suffered by France, the passage of time has changed the reality of both teams.

"Of course it was disappointing to lose, but four years have passed. Many things have changed in the French team since then and I think in Argentina too. That final motivates us to do better in the present," he commented.

The winger also took the opportunity to publicly defend Kylian Mbappé, who has received questions in recent months over issues related to his leadership within the French team.

According to Dembélé, the criticism directed towards his teammate has been disproportionate. "They have been very unfair to him. They go a little overboard with their criticism of Kylian because he is an incredible player. He is a great person off the field, because I have known him for a long time. Sometimes they go overboard with their criticism just because it is Kylian Mbappé," he said.

In the same conversation, the French attacker addressed the possibility of Zinedine Zidane becoming the next national coach once Didier Deschamps' time at the helm of Les Bleus ends.

Dembélé recalled the confrontations he had against Zidane when he led Real Madrid and he defended the colors of Barcelona. For the forward, the figure of the former midfielder represents an absolute reference within French football.

"I faced him when he coached Real Madrid and I was at Barcelona. He is the greatest, a true icon of French football. He is an exceptional coach who won three consecutive Champions Leagues with Madrid. We hope to be able to welcome him one day to the French national team bench. I am convinced that he would do a formidable job," he concluded.