Dembele: I rarely went to the gym before, and high-level football requires not only talent but also more effort.

In an interview with 442, Dembele recalled his previous experiences at Dortmund and Barcelona, ​​and talked about his transformation as a professional player.

Dembele transferred from Rennes to Dortmund when he was 19 years old. Recalling this transfer, he said: "It's really not easy, but I got a lot of help. I transferred to the Bundesliga 6 months after his debut in Rennes. Dortmund gave me extremely warm care, and I felt like joining a big family. Tuchel was like a father in my heart, and gave me great care in the club. I also met Aubameyang, who gave me great help that year, and all of this made my adaptation process much easier for Dortmund."

"The later transfer to Barcelona was indeed a very complicated experience, especially at that time. My experience as a professional player is only 18 months. When I came to Barcelona at the age of 20, I was dreaming of superstar teammates in the locker room, which felt beyond imagination. You had to adapt, but I was unlucky and plagued by injuries for three or four years there. When you can play, you need to adapt, and when you can't play, you need to stay strong. But at that time, what I was doing was what I like, and I was in the dream of Barcelona, ​​so the process was not easy, but after three or four years, the situation got much better. "

There are reports that Dembele is very popular with his Barcelona teammates, so he was surprised and disappointed with his transfer to Paris. In response, the player said: "I am happy with everything I have experienced at Barcelona because I have grown a lot there, both on the court and in my life. I have made many friends in Barcelona and we are still in touch today. It was a very special time for me, and most importantly, I learned a lot there."

Dembele is extremely confidential about his private life, but according to people familiar with him, two things have greatly changed Dembele, one is his marriage to his girlfriend Rima in December 2021 and the birth of his daughter in September the following year. The wedding surprised many teammates because they didn't even know Dembele had a girlfriend. But these two things made Dembele realize his responsibilities as the head of the family. He gradually matured and would train with a physiotherapist at home, often returned to France for some special preventive treatments, and began to look at everything with his father's eyes and mindset.

Asked about the "Epiphany Moment", Dembele said: "Until I went to Barcelona, ​​I rarely went to the gym, but I always had a lot of energy to go straight to the stadium, and of course some talent. After a few injuries, you began to realize that you had to take good care of your body. High-level football requires not only talent, but also more efforts in other aspects, because you will find any accidents that can happen. So I have to work hard, get stronger, eat and sleep well. Now in Paris, it's all gotten Reward, I am very happy. "

Talking about my current understanding of my physical condition, Dembele said: "I understand very well. I know my physical condition, I know when to accelerate and when not. When others tell me that I should not reach 31 km/h. I know when I get tired, when I should stop training, and when I need to strengthen my exercise. I have kept this in mind for the past three or four years."

So what about burgers and pizza? Is it something you can only eat after your career ends? Dembele said: "When I retired... Is there anything I don't want to eat? As for burgers and pizza, there will always be after the game. Although not every time, I always have to reward myself after the game. All players will eat burgers or pizza after the game. I won't eat too much chocolate, which is fine, but I will continue to eat burgers and pizza after the game, which will not change."