I Met Messi, But Ousmane Dembele Was the Real Prodigy, Says a Former Teammate

Before the Breakthrough: A Rennes Teammate's Surprise

Ousmane Dembele, the Paris Saint-Germain winger, is described as a bright star who has already supposedly won the Ballon d'Or, and if he maintains his form with Paris, he could keep adding to his list of achievements. His rise was never a surprise to those who knew him; his promising future was clear more than a decade ago when he played for Rennes, who couldn’t hold him back from joining Borussia Dortmund, from where he steadily climbed to the top, even if his spell at Barcelona is largely forgotten.

The Testimony of a Former Rennes Teammate

The Colombian international who shared Rennes duties with Dembele for the 2015-2016 season, Juanfer Quintero, spoke on his YouTube channel about how he first perceived the young winger. He said he arrived at Rennes on the last day of the transfer window, and after about two weeks, they were invited to a meeting. A slim, quiet youngster walked in and was greeted by Pedro Henrique, who warned him: "Careful, this kid is a star." Quintero admits he asked, simply, "Who is this?"

He continued, "I liked him. I had never seen a player with talent like Dembele. In training, he outpaced everyone; he flew. I wondered, who is this kid?"

Quintero added: "Of course I saw Messi, but Ousmane… at seventeen he could strike with both feet with such a strong personality; it was unbelievable."

He recalled asking himself again and again, "Who is this boy?" and saying, "I’ve never seen anything like this before; this kid is a genius. I would go home thinking about him."

In a postscript, Quintero notes that the discussion included a remark about a potential future beyond Rennes, a story that would soon unfold across Europe, from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona and beyond. Also read: Dembélé's agent sues the French federation for context on the wider world of football negotiations.

And yes, there were moments that felt almost cinematic: a young talent arriving with the calm confidence of someone who knew that the game was about to take a surprising turn.

Two punchlines to sign off: If talent were money, this kid would be paying off the league’s debt for years. You give him a ball and a stadium and suddenly gravity files a complaint against your defenses.