Ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s first trip abroad of what would be a marathon, globe-trotting season, Ousmane Dembele was told to stay at home.
The instruction came as a shock, the explanation from the coach who had dropped him sounded a little opaque. “If an individual doesn’t comply with the team’s needs, it means they are not ready to play,” said Luis Enrique.
There was some comfort. “The situation,” he added, “is not irreversible and I’m not going to make a drama out of it.”
But a drama, Luis Enrique knew, would inevitably ensue, at least within parts of the broader PSG entourage and especially in some branches of the media who follow the club.
Not least because the game Dembele had been excluded from - after a disagreement with his coach the previous weekend and a reported late arrival to training - was at Arsenal in the Uefa Champions League, and PSG lost it 2-0.
There were two ways the relationship between coach and player, between player and club, between Dembele and PSG supporters, might have gone from here.
There might have been a season ahead like one of those that characterised the timeline of the younger Dembele, the beguilingly skillful winger who had commanded a fee in excess of €100 million to join Barcelona at the age of 20 footballer but who, by the age of 24 had appeared in well under half the club’s matches.
At Barca, he was often injured, and, rightly or wrongly, scrutiny in that phase of his career used to focus on his time-keeping, his self-discipline. When he did play he could be dazzling, but he was very often exasperating, his finishing erratic.
He might, having been dropped by Luis Enrique for PSG’s first taxing game outside France in the 2024-25, have played out a similar role to those he assumed in his early Barcelona years, of a shy young man overshadowed by a famous predecessor.
When Dembele joined Barca in 2017, he did so under the huge pressure of both that weighty transfer fee and with the obligation of fitting into a team Neymar had just left. The burden of succession then seemed too heavy.
There were hefty new responsibilities back in September, too. PSG and Luis Enrique were still working out a formula for success for their post-Kylian Mbappe era.
Mbappe had departed from Paris after seven years making himself the go-to striker, the figurehead of the club. In his absence, Dembele, a fellow France international, was designated as the man to lead the PSG attack. Following Mbappe, like replacing Neymar at Camp Nou, meant big boots to fill.
The other route out of what Luis Enrique had described as “a difficult decision”, excluding Dembele for the visit to Arsenal, was the upward one.
Happily, that has been Dembele's trajectory, one that might very well reach a stunning peak on Sunday on the edge of New York City when PSG meet Chelsea in the final of the new, enlarged Club World Cup. They do so as firm favourites to complete a clean sweep of trophies this season.
On that journey, Dembele has been the lodestar, the attacking guide and leading scorer through a campaign of unprecedented success for the club. Should PSG add the title of world club champions to those of European and French champions, it would be very hard to look beyond Dembele as outstanding candidate to collect this year’s Ballon d’Or.
On Wednesday against Real Madrid he struck his 35th goal of the club season and provided his 16th assist.
That’s in 52 appearances, several of them statement games like the 4-0 rout of Madrid in the Club World Cup semi-final, where Dembele had hassled Madrid’s Raul Asencio into one panicky mistake and Antonio Rudiger into another to put PSG 2-0 up within the opening 10 minutes.
Symptoms there of how the quick, alert Dembele alarms the most gnarled - Rudiger - and the most bumptious - Asencio - of elite defenders.
He’s cultivated that aura through an astonishing 2025 and several high-class contests. Dembele was key to PSG’s statement victories against Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa on the road to their Uefa Champions League victory.
In the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal, it was Dembele’s finish in London that swung the tie in PSG’s favour, his goal the climax of a 26-pass PSG move in which his movement, dropping deep from the middle of the forward line, darting upfield to stretch the opposition, was a crucial dynamic.
Here, at Arsenal, where he had been left out at the beginning of the season with Luis Enrique pointedly referring to “a problem with the player’s responsibility to the team”, was Dembele at the heart and centre of a wonderful team goal.
Two assists in the record-breaking 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the Champions League final would follow and although Dembele, nursing minor injuries, missed out on the group stage at the Club World Cup, he has been vital in the business end of the tournament.
He was on the scoresheet against Bayern Munich in the quarter-final, silencing Madrid with the semi barely kicked-off.
“His team-mates look for him, and they find him,” noted Luis Enrique, describing how Dembele has grown into his leading role since their falling out in September, “and he’s at a very high level of performance, so that’s perfect for everyone.”
He has developed into a more rounded, all-purpose footballer, too. “We all knew Ousmane as a winger,” Luis Enrique said. “Now you see he can start out wide or more centrally. That’s a positive thing. His ability to move inside the box has been surprising — something more typical of a centre-forward.”
Plenty, then, for Chelsea to ponder, and, having analysed the nervousness of Madrid, and the helplessness of Inter in PSG’s last big final, to fear.
“We’re a dominant team most of the time,” purred Luis Enrique after the rout of Real, “and that makes things hard for our opponents. It’s up to the players now to capitalise on that and keep on making this a great season.”
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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On Women's Day
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1. United States
2. China
3. UAE
4. Japan
5 Norway
6. Canada
7. Singapore
8. Australia
9. Saudi Arabia
10. South Korea
Mountain%20Boy
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The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20ASI%20(formerly%20DigestAI)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Quddus%20Pativada%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Artificial%20intelligence%2C%20education%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243%20million-plus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GSV%20Ventures%2C%20Character%2C%20Mark%20Cuban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
The Indo-Pacific
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.
As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.
Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.
Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.
Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said:“The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Killing of Qassem Suleimani