When now-former Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez traveled to Rennes to watch a Ligue 1 fixture between Stade Rennais F.C. and FC Nantes, he hoped to see a glimpse of the French wonderkid Ousmane Dembele. Instead, he got more than just a glimpse as Dembele wowed with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win. His performance spiked interest from Barca and they kept him on their radar even after his move to Borussia Dortmund in 2016.
After the drama-filled Neymar transfer saga last summer, Barca officials believed that it was best to accelerate a deal with Dortmund to finally bring in Dembele. But the plan was always for Dembele to sign with his dream club. As he rose up through the ranks at Rennes, several clubs in Europe began to express interest in the young French forward. And one of them was of course, Barcelona. While he ended up signing for Dortmund in 2016, Dembele had his eye on eventually playing alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
After completing a then-club record €115m transfer deal, Dembele had the weight of the world on his shoulders. For a club that does not have much patience for underperformers, Dembele was tasked with adjusting to the Barca system and playstyle immediately while also contributing in replacing the production that Neymar left. This is clearly a demanding and pressure-filled responsibility that only the best would be able to handle. But in Dembele’s case, he did well in living up to the hype in his first year with the club last season. The French international finished with four goals and nine assists in 23 games in all competitions.
The season did come with a fair share of highs and lows. The Camp Nou rose up in admiration during the Barca and Espanyol fixture when Dembele received a ball on the right flank and delivered a pass right to Suarez where he did the rest and scored. Barca fans grew fonder of Dembele after his dazzling goal against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie.