Dembélé shines at Manchester City after secret New York break

Ousmane Dembélé produced one of his best performances of the season Wednesday evening at the Etihad Stadium, where PSG defeated Manchester City 4-2 in the Champions League, before cheekily revealing he had just returned from vacation.

Quizzed in the mixed zone, the PSG forward confirmed he had travelled during the week of rest granted to him by Luis Enrique, missing the Ligue 1 match against Le Mans (3-1). Facing criticism over this rest period, Dembélé chose humour: “Besides, I might ask for another one…”, he said with a smirk. He then drove the point home: “Tuesday and Wednesday, I really enjoy playing… Especially when I come back from vacation.”

On the destination, the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner preferred to remain evasive. “I went with my family, but I can’t say where”, he replied when asked directly. It was ultimately L’Équipe that revealed the truth: Dembélé stayed in New York. Jérôme Rothen had actually let the cat out of the bag before the match, questioning the quality of the winger’s preparation after his international duty.

Dembélé’s performance at Manchester certainly settled the debate on the pitch. PSG established themselves as one of the competition’s favourites after this emphatic victory at the English champions.