“He doesn’t listen to criticism” - Luis Enrique ignores Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe and Haaland as he names ‘most influential’ footballer now
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Luis Enrique has snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland to name Ousmane Dembele as the most influential footballer in the world right now.
Dembele endured a decent six-year spell at Barcelona between 2017 and 2023, scoring 40 goals and providing 43 assists in 185 appearances across all competitions. He helped the Blaugrana win seven trophies, including three La Liga titles.
The France international made the choice to join PSG this summer for a fee of €50.4 million. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite been able to hit the ground running yet, netting one goal and registering five assists in 16 appearances across all competitions for Les Parisiens to date.
Despite not quite flourishing for PSG, Enrique opted to wax lyrical about Dembele, naming him the most influential footballer in the world, over Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Spanish tactician said (via @FabrizioRomano):
“I keep insisting on my point: Ousmane Dembélé is the most influential football player in the world. No doubts. He doesn’t care about mistakes. He keeps going, he loves to try. He doesn’t listen to criticism… he always generates good things."
This is a rather bold statement by Enrique, given that the naturally talented 26-year-old hasn't quite done enough on the pitch to be named more influential than Ronaldo and Messi.
The two superstars have dominated football for nearly two decades, winning a total of 13 Ballons d'Or over the years. Moreover, they are also some of the most followed footballers on the planet on Instagram with Cristiano Ronaldo having 613 million followers, and Lionel Messi with 493 million.
From the current generation, many would argue that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are the most likely to compete for the title of being the best footballer in the world. While Dembele can still ascend to their level, it would be statistically inaccurate to call him more influential at this time.
How have Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland performed this season?
Luis Enrique made the bold decision to name Ousmane Dembele as the most influential footballer right now, leaving out the likes of Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe and Haaland. Let's take a look at the stats to see they have performed this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in exceptional form for Al-Nassr so far, netting 18 goals and providing nine assists in 19 appearances across all competitions. The 38-year-old has been a force to be reckoned with on the pitch, proving age is just a number as he has already scored 48 goals this calendar year.
In contrast, Lionel Messi scored 32 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions for PSG and Inter Miami, winning a total of two trophies. He also helped Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, winning his eighth Ballon d'Or award in October.
Kylian Mbappe has scored 16 goals and provided two assists in 16 appearances in total for PSG. Erling Haaland has also gone from strength to strength, showing why he finished second in the 2023 Ballon d'Or podium. The Norweigan has netted 18 goals and registered four assists in 19 appearances for Manchester City after helping them win the treble last season.