Ousmane Dembélé injured and source of tension between the French national team and Paris Saint-Germain

Thirty-five minutes on the pitch, and perhaps several weeks in the infirmary. This is what the images of Ousmane Dembélé clutching his right thigh after an acceleration suggest. During France's 2-0 victory over Ukraine on Friday in Wroclaw, Poland, the first qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker, who came on at halftime, was unable to finish the match and is already out of Les Bleus' next match, against Iceland on Tuesday.

Didier Deschamps will inevitably miss Ousmane Dembélé when it comes to choosing his starting lineup. But the coach, who is entering his fourteenth and final season on the French bench, has a plethora of attacking options at his disposal, from Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool) to Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan) and newcomer Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco). This squad depth could have easily allowed "DD" to do without Dembélé against Ukraine, according to PSG.

According to RMC and L'Equipe , the capital club is angry with the French national team's staff for ignoring its recommendations and playing Ousmane Dembélé. It believed that its 28-year-old striker presented a high risk of injury, especially since he had already suffered a physical problem in the other thigh the previous Saturday, during PSG's victory in Toulouse (6-3), a match during which the former Rennes and Barcelona player scored twice from the penalty spot. Dembélé had also trained separately from the group at the start of the French national team's training session to follow a modified program.

After the match, Didier Deschamps denied playing with fire. "He was in good spirits. Unfortunately, it happened to him, but there was no apprehension whatsoever about playing him. I did what he thought and from a medical point of view there was no problem," the coach explained at a press conference.

This explanation is unlikely to be enough to calm PSG, who also saw their striker Désiré Doué leave the pitch with a right calf injury – replaced by Ousmane Dembélé at halftime. He is also out of the match against Iceland on Tuesday at the Parc des Princes, PSG's usual home ground. This is yet another headache for Parisian coach Luis Enrique and his staff, who may have to do without two of their main attacking assets during the busy coming weeks. PSG kicks off its Champions League title defense on September 17 against Atalanta Bergamo, before traveling to FC Barcelona on October ^1. In the meantime, a clash against rivals Marseille awaits on September 21.

Although he had a reputation for being a fragile player in recent seasons, whether at Dortmund or Barcelona, ​​Ousmane Dembélé finished the 2024-2025 season with his arms laden with trophies and without any major injuries to report. Probably worn down by the string of matches – he played 53 last season – his body showed signs of weakness on Friday. The next time the 57-cap striker is seen with a ball, it might be a golden one.

The overwhelming favorite for football's supreme individual award, the Ballon d'Or, Ousmane Dembélé will meet with the other football stars on September 22nd to find out who will lift the trophy. Even if he wins, he will have little time to savor the moment, having embarked on a new season that promises to be endless, and which should take him to the United States, Mexico, and Canada, where the 2026 World Cup will take place, from June 11th to July 19th.