5 Players that will reduce the workload on Lionel Messi this season

#2. Ousmane Dembele

Barcelona v Girona - La Liga — Dembele is now settling in the team perfectly

Following a difficult campaign last season amidst injury crisis, former Borussia Dortmund winger, Ousmane Dembele is now ready to prove himself at Barcelona.

The attacker was part of the French squad that won the FIFA World Cup in Russia and he has returned to the Catalan capital in good shape and with great confidence.

A pacy winger with incredible dribbling skills, Dembele will play a huge role in Barcelona's progress this season.

The 21-year-old is one of the superstars that will ease Lionel Messi of the burden during the campaign, with his ability to linkup perfectly with his teammates, penetrating opposition defenses to create chances and score goals.

In his performance during the Spanish Super Cup, Dembele showed us that he can form a decent relationship with Lionel Messi, with the duo often noticed around the left flank linking up to take corners and penetrating into the box.

The Frenchman bagged the winner with an incredible stunner from outside the box to send a perfect message to the Barcelona fans ahead of the campaign.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Shea Robinson