It will be a special match for him too.
Beyond participating in his second World Cup final, Ousmane Dembélé will also face his former partner Lionel Messi.
Asked several times about the state of health of his partners, Dembélé also mentioned his reunion with the Argentinian whom a large part of the planet hopes to see finally win the final.
A plan that Dembélé hopes to thwart.
What was your relationship with Messi at Barcelona and how to prevent him from being radiant in the final on Sunday?
OUSMANE DEMBELE.
I spent four great years at Barcelona with Messi.
He is an exceptional player.
I'm very happy to have had him as a teammate.
He is very calm in the locker room but he helped me a lot when I arrived.
What did it bring you?
I arrived at Barça at 20, I wanted to dribble all the time.
Each time he repeated to me that there were times to dribble, others to pass, that we could not make the difference each time.
That's mainly what he gave me.
You who knew him, are you ready to fight against history and deprive him of this World Cup that a large part of the planet wants to see him win?
We are the France team, we fight for our country, our team.
We fight for the French to be proud of us.
With the career he has, it would be nice if Messi wins it one day.
But all the players want to win it, we also want to win the Cup.
You have a more defensive role than usual.
Do you manage to have fun?
Yes, I take great pleasure in helping Jules (Kounde) and Antoine (Griezmann) in defensive tasks.
Every time it tackles, we encourage each other... we succeed.
Argentines have been stigmatized for their behavior.
Are they mean players?
No, they're not doing it out of spite.
They are engaged.
You will have to be aggressive and have a response.
We hope to counter them and have a good match.
Are you worried about the virus spreading among the Blues?
We are not afraid of the virus.
Dayot (Upamecano) or Adrien (Rabiot) had a stomach ache, I made them a little tea with ginger and honey, to get better.
But we're not worried about that.
It does not worry the players or the staff.
I went to see Dayot in his room, with a mask of course, he was better.
Everyone will be ready for the final on Sunday.
How is daily life organized with patients?
The first day when Dayot had the virus he stayed in his room, we brought him meals.
And the next day, he was better and rejoined the group.
Are you satisfied with your production since the start of the World Cup?
I think I can do much better in the offensive aspect.
Every time I come to help Jules or Antoine in a more defensive role, I tell myself it's for the team, I don't think about my stats.
It's true that I'm probably missing a small goal.
But there is still a match to be played.... (he smiles)
Argentina gets almost a peno per game.
Is this the kind of thing that worries you?
The referee decides that.
At home, the defenders know that we have to be careful.
But that doesn't worry us.
Does the experience gained in 2018 help you prepare for this final?
Yes, of course it counts.
Four years ago, we were much more euphoric after the victory against Belgium in the semi-finals for example.
There, we were less, we were calmer after qualifying against Morocco.
There are some similarities between the two groups.
But in 2018, there were more crazies (laughs).
Be careful, there is a good atmosphere there too, but in 2018, it was not the same.
It was the first for 20 years, it was crazier.
