Watch Ousmane Dembele when Chelsea take one of their short goal kicks on Sunday night. The Paris Saint-Germain striker’s stance will be practically primal, similar to a sprinter eager to eat up his 100 metres, primed to chase that ball as if it is the last one left on the planet.
Marc Cucurella cites Dembele as the toughest opponent he has ever faced and the Spaniard says that as someone who has twice stopped the supersonic 28-year-old from scoring when he was in his territory on France’s right wing.
First in the Euro 2024 semi-final won 2-1 by Spain and then in the Nations League final, a 5-4 victory in which there is a picture of Cucurella shouting down at a decked Dembele like Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston.