Xavi compares Dembele with former Barca star Neymar
Neymar was once so remarkable at Barcelona and Xavi sees Ousmane Dembele like that, supporting him to do his best.
Ousmane Dembele
has been displaying the same ability as
Neymar
when he was in his prime at
Barcelona, according to
Xavi
.
The Frenchman contributed three assists on Wednesday as Barcelona vanquished Viktoria Plzen 5-1 in the group stage opener of the Champions League. They will next go against Bayern Munich and Inter.
Robert Lewandowski netted a hat-trick, with Dembele setting up the striker’s second as well as the goals from Franck Kessie and Ferran Torres.
He has penned a new contract at Camp Nou, securing their stay through 2024, and his form on the wing being quite astonishing.
"I don't want to throw flowers, but the ability he has in one-on-one situations is at the level of the best Neymar,"
said Xavi, who played alongside Neymar for Barcelona.
Xavi would also like him to add to his goal tally.
"He has to dare more to shoot at goal and score,"
said Xavi.
"He's a good boy and he has to take advantage of these characteristics. He's here to make a difference and he's doing it."
Neymar departed Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and is still with the French giants.
His prowess when it comes to goal is something Dembele can just aspire to, since notwithstanding Xavi’s assertion, Neymar’s output and Dembele’s own are not the exactly the same.
The two have played similar number of minutes since the beginning of 2022. Neymar met the back of the net 19 times, while Dembele scored three.
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