Ousmane Dembele is currently out of action for Barcelona owning to a muscle injury, but that didn’t keep the World Cup winner from making an unexpected appearance in an English Championship game. The France international was spotted in the directors’ box at Sunderland’s second-tier match against Sheffield United. The presence of the 25-year-old at the Stadium of Light caused quite a stir, with many wondering why he had chosen to spend a cold, wet Wednesday night on Wearside.
After months of speculations and a tussle with the Catalan club, Ousmane Dembele had finally penned a new, two-year deal at the club last summer. The winger’s previous contract was about to expire this summer, with many clubs waiting in the wings to take him for free. However, the 25-year-old finally decided to commit his future to Barca, who had splashed a whopping €145 million on his acquisition from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017.
Ousmane Dembele’s mysterious appearance at Sunderland game explained
Ousmane Dembele sat in the directors box alongside Sunderland chairman and majority owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday evening as the Black Cats faced Sheffield United. The Sky Sports’ cameras picked up on the 25-year-old, who watched Sunderland take a 2-1 beating by Sheffield United. Fans of both Barcelona as well as Sunderland were perplexed at the sight as the real reason behind the winger’s attendance has been explained.
It happens to be that Ousmane Dembele is good friends with Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, with whom he was photographed sitting during his visit to the North East. Louis-Dreyfus, who is also 25 years old, became Sunderland’s majority shareholder last summer, while he also owns a small stake in Ligue 1 club Marseille.
Dembele and Louis-Dreyfus can be seen together in several photos posted on their social media accounts, with the Barcelona number-11 had also congratulating Dreyfus on Instagram after Sunderland won promotion to the Championship last season. Meanwhile, Barcelona fans will be hoping to see Dembele back on the Spotify Camp Nout pitch soon.
However, according to the most recent reports, the France international will not be able to return to first-team action until after the upcoming international break. Ousmane Dembele was in blistering form before succumbing to another injury, as he had record a brilliant 8 goals and 7 assists in 28 games before getting sidelined. He will now focus on stepping up his recovery and hope to get back in action for the Blaugrana as they chase a cup double of the La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
Meanwhile, Sunderland’s defeat to Sheffield United at home meant they are sat exactly at the half way point of the Championship table, on 12th. On the other hand, a promotion to the Premier League for Dembele’s mate’s club looks far from realistic, but they will still look to crack into the play-offs spots which are 11 points away.