France star Ousmane Dembele spoke about Lionel Messi ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. France have the task this summer of matching their performances from the last two editions of the FIFA World Cup and competing for the title once again. Ousmane Dembele is confident in his team’s chances, but he is not overlooking other contenders, including Lionel Messi’s Argentina. During an interview with Marca, Dembele was asked whether he believed Messi could win another World Cup. “Of course, he can win every trophy possible. I already saw it in Barcelona,” began the winger, who played alongside Leo for four seasons with the Spanish club between 2017 and 2021. The Paris Saint-Germain star then pushed back against those who believe Messi is no longer capable of competing at the highest level because of his age. “That changes nothing… He is the best I have ever seen, the best the game has ever seen. He is still dangerous,” said Ousmane. “It’s difficult to stop him even at 38 years old. He may be that age, but he will always have those qualities. We’ll have to be careful with him because he is capable of winning again,” added Dembele, who experienced Messi’s brilliance firsthand in the Qatar 2022 final, where Argentina defeated France on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Dembele and Messi playing for Barcelona in 2018. Dembele names his favorites to win the 2026 World Cup In the same interview, Ousmane Dembele was asked about France‘s chances of competing for the trophy once again. “We know that the French national team has reached the final in each of the last two editions. So we’ll be a team with high expectations,” began the winger. “But we remain focused on the objective. Before thinking about reaching the Round of 16 or the quarterfinals, you first have to get through the group-stage matches.” He then shared his thoughts on Spain, whom many consider the other major favorite. “They are an exceptional team collectively and have very good players… They have been playing this way for years and years, with players of the highest level,” said Ousmane. “In Spain, possession is something that comes naturally to them.” However, Dembele made it clear that the race for the title will not necessarily come down to those two teams. “There are many teams that are favorites in this competition… Spain, having just won the European Championship, are certainly one of the favorites. But there are also Argentina, the reigning world champions, Germany, Portugal and England. They are all great national teams,” explained the current Ballon d’Or winner. “That said, we’ll also have to be careful with the teams that are considered less likely to win.”
Later today, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will get underway. There are two matches on Thursday’s docket: Host team Mexico gets things started against South Africa, while a little later South Korea will square off with Czechia. And in short order, the other 44 teams will join the fray. Here, we are keeping track on […]
Former Scotland striker Chris Iwelumo thinks it will be "a massive step forward" should Che Adams become the first black player to play for the nation's men's team at a World Cup. Iwelumo was himself a standard bearer when he earned four caps more than 15 years ago, but he never made it to a major finals. "I think it's a massive step forward, but the country is a very, a very different landscape to what it was when we were growing up," Iwelumo said of Adams' success for Scotland and Torino.
Football Insider dropped a bit of a bombshell via former scout Mick Brown. Apparently, Leeds United are having serious second thoughts about chasing Newcastle‘s Nick Pope. On paper, it sounds like a...
Celtic will be "very active" with their recruitment in the coming weeks, insists interim chairman Brian Wilson. After Martin O'Neill was confirmed as permanent manager on a one-year deal on Thursday, Wilson was asked in a club interview if the 74-year-old would be given the resources to improve the squad. Wilson said the board had admitted previous mistakes on their part and has called on supporters to ensure there is no repeat of the "division" that plagued Celtic for much of the past year.
Carlos Baleba. Yes, he has had his moments, but since the rumour of a transfer to Manchester United he's completely fell off form-wise and he doesn't look as pivotal to our midfield as he used to. New Nigerian teenage wonderkid who might want to win trophies with Brighton, but barring injuries he should be off to the Championship first and prove he is worthy of a squad place next season.
