Former Barcelona attacker Ronaldinho has picked his standout player from the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League.
The former Brazil international heaped praise on Paris Saint-Germain, PSG, star Ousmane Dembélé, highlighting several qualities of the Frenchman.
Ronaldinho, himself a former PSG star, hailed Dembélé for “revealing himself” at the club this season.
Dembélé signed for PSG from Barcelona in the summer of 2023 for a reported €50 million.
He had previously moved to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund, after rising to prominence at the German club between 2016 and 2017. He joined Barça in a reported €145 million deal, as a potential replacement for Neymar Jr.
He, however, underperformed at Camp Nou, recording 40 goals and 41 assists in 185 appearances across competitions.
In the 2024–25 season, the Frenchman has regained his stupendous form at PSG, scoring 32 goals and providing eight assists in 40 appearances across competitions.
He has helped the Parisians reach the last eight of the Champions League this season and has also led them to the Ligue 1 title.
Speaking in an interview with L’Équipe, Ronaldinho said: “I don’t like to compare much. I mainly look at my old teams and those that are still in the Champions League.
“There’s Ousmane Dembele at PSG. I like him a lot. He has a slightly Brazilian style. He’s disconcerting, he invents, he provokes. He’s often unreadable and, what’s more, he scores a lot of goals.
“He’s revealing himself, bursting into a different role than he did at PSG last year or at Barca before that.”
PSG are among the frontrunners to win the Champions League this season. If that happens, Dembélé would be in contention to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
