Ousmane Dembele Fires Back at Critics After PSG's Win Over Man City

Since last week, Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele has been in the media spotlight after the club's executives decided to rest him briefly, but the Frenchman has now spoken out about what happened.

Dembele spent more than 15 days on international break with the French national team, and given the long period of high-intensity training, it is logical that the PSG board concluded he needed a rest.

The decision wasn't limited to Dembele; PSG left-back Nuno Mendes was also rested alongside the Frenchman. But of course, French fans didn't stay quiet about their displeasure.

For several months now, Ousmane has been criticized for the rest days that coach Luis Enrique gives him, even if they are only a couple of days. People question why Dembele needs so many rest days if he's such a good player, which also raises doubts about whether he is a serious candidate for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

However, after returning from his short rest, Dembele was part of Luis Enrique's starting eleven in the Champions League match against Manchester City (2-4), where he fortunately scored a goal.

Thanks to this, PSG's number 10 showed the people who criticized him that he hadn't gone anywhere, and he took the criticism in good humor.

Speaking to Canal+ after the match, Dembele joked with the media that he might need another rest period until next year.

"Did I want to set the record straight? No, not at all. There was an international break, and then I went on vacation... In fact, maybe I will ask for more. They have been criticizing me for 10 years, so that is not going to change, right?"

Ousmane also assured that they don't care if people doubt that PSG could win the match (remembering that they did not have a good start to the season in Ligue 1); for the team, the important thing is to complete the first part of the season and then focus on what comes next.

"Will I still be on vacation this weekend? It is possible, maybe even until March!" the Frenchman concluded.

Even if they call things into question, 'The Mosquito' always comes back to the fight, and now he seems more ready than ever for the next challenges ahead.

PSG will face Racing Club de Strasbourg in a Ligue 1 match on Saturday the 17th of this week, and later face FC Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, Oct. 20.