In a season outlined by near-misses and uncooked potential, Liverpool’s Champions League journey was halted by a well-known power with a deep-rooted reverence for Anfield. Ousmane Dembele—flamboyant, ferocious, and now totally in flight at Paris Saint-Germain—proved to be the decisive determine who edged the French champions previous Arne Slot’s revitalised Reds.
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That he did so with a objective and a nerveless penalty in entrance of the expectant crowd provides a poetic weight to his newest revelation.
Gerrard’s Identify Carries Throughout Generations
Dembele’s roots within the recreation hint a path from the playgrounds of Vernon to the lights of Paris, however his creativeness was formed by distant icons. In a brief video for the French nationwide workforce’s official Instagram, the 28-year-old beamed with nostalgia as he named Steven Gerrard amongst his three favorite gamers of all time.
“Primary is Lionel Messi. I’m a fan of Barcelona, so Lionel Messi is an enormous legend. In quantity two, David Beckham, that is the primary soccer jersey that I bought. In quantity three, Steven Gerrard. I used to be a fan of Liverpool.”
As he talked about the Liverpool legend, the digital camera caught Ibrahima Konate’s delighted response—half fun, half a cheer. Even Adrien Rabiot, sat close by, supplied a understanding nod. For a era of French gamers, Gerrard isn’t only a identify in Premier League historical past books.
Sliding Doorways and Missed Connections
Liverpool got here near signing Dembele in 2016 when he left Rennes, and it’s not troublesome to think about how transformative which may have been. Underneath Jürgen Klopp, with velocity and aptitude already forming the membership’s attacking id, Dembele may have flourished.
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As an alternative, his path led to Dortmund, Barcelona, and now Paris, the place Luis Enrique has refined him right into a difference-maker. In opposition to Liverpool within the Champions League, it was Dembele who dragged PSG to further time after which stepped up once more within the penalty shootout.
Legacy in Thoughts, Glory Inside Attain
Now, Dembele faces the largest second of his membership profession—a Champions League remaining towards Inter Milan. A title would full a private {and professional} transformation. And maybe extra poignantly, it could echo the triumph of his childhood hero 20 years in the past.
He was simply eight when Gerrard lifted the European Cup on that legendary evening in Istanbul. Twenty years later, Dembele can etch his identify into PSG historical past and France’s soccer folklore by doing the identical in 2025.