The story is quite crazy. Ousmane Dembélé could never have evolved with Stade Rennais, his training club. A few weeks before its beginnings in Ligue 1, on November 6, 2015, coming into play in the place of Kamil Grosicki against Angers, 15 days before his first goal on a pass by Paul-Georges Ntep against Bordeaux, the dribbler, then 18 years old, left for the clash.
At the time, it had made a scandal not possible in the news of the red and black. The president of the SRFC René Ruello fulminated against the entourage of Dembélé as well as against Gérard Houllier, then director of the football branch of the Red Bull group. Philippe Montanier had promoted the nugget of the Rennes Academy during the 2015 pre -sislation. The leaders offered a first professional contract to the player, but his advisers refused it.
After shine in friendly matches, Ousmane Dembélé decides to boycott a preparation course in Germany. He no longer wants to train with Stade Rennais, while waiting for his departure for the Red Bull Salzburg. The German coach Peter Zeidler, perfectly French-speaking (and passed through the Tours FC and FC Sochaux-Montbéliard), recalls his exchanges with the 18-year-old prodigy. But Houllier, the former coach of the French team and then successful coach in Liverpool and OL, did not succeed.
“What really scandalizes me is that Gérard Houllier is maneuver”
Questioned by 20 minutes At the time, René Ruello loose:
“There is a story of big under behind, with people with a dubious morality and who simply want to make a little cash. They better say it frankly, we would understand right away. You still have to stop taking us for idiots! What really scandalizes me is that Gérard Houllier is maneuvering for one of the interested clubs. This type was boss of the National Technical Department and it does not even respect French training centers. What is the point of putting millions in the training, if you have guys who come to loot you like that? I received a letter from Houllier, which tells us: 'I'll buy it to you so much'. I answer:
'No'. Or, at that time, you have to stop the training center right away! We are not in this trip. We will fight because Dembélé has a two -year contract. And a contract is self -respecting. It may be well advised, but we too! »»
Stade Rennais thus locked Ousmane Dembélé, under an intern, under penalty of legal proceedings. The Benfica had also token at the door, like Salzburg, and he tells himself that the Breton club then demanded a handful of millions of euros! In October 2015, the future 2018 world champion and Ballon d'Or 2025 finally signed his first professional contract in France, convinced in particular by Mikaël Silvestre.
