Ousmane Dembele reminds football fans the game is more than statistics

Ousmane Dembele believes football is about more than numbers on a stat sheet.

After being named best European player by Onze Mondial, the French winger reflected on how statistics can overshadow the true beauty of the game.

“Personally, I’ve never been attracted to statistics,” said Ousmane Dembele.

“Yes, statistics are present in the world of football, but I’ve never been attracted to them personally.”

“It never really motivated me. I was always asked to score goals and provide assists. But yes, statistics in football take up a lot of space. You can focus on players who provide few assists or score fewer goals, but they are much more important than those who put the ball in the goal.”

“Sometimes people don’t watch the games; they only remember the goalscorer or the passer, but in the analysis of the match, there are other very important players,”

Ousmane Dembele is a leading candidate for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.