Ousmane Dembélé Once Cried Just To Join Le Havre Ac
Before becoming one of football’s biggest stars, Ousmane Dembélé was just a young boy chasing his dream.
At only 13 years old, clubs like Caen, Lens, Nîmes, Valenciennes, PSG, Rennes, Monaco, Saint-Étienne, and Le Havre were all fighting to sign him. But despite all the interest, Dembélé had only one destination in mind — Le Havre AC.
The club was just 120 km away from his hometown, and according to former scout Franck Sale, the youngster was completely obsessed with joining them.
Franck Sale recalled:
“The kid went to every tournament with me. I used to drive him there in my car, and he even slept at my house sometimes.”
He then revealed the emotional moments that showed just how badly Dembélé wanted the move.
“When I left his family’s apartment in Évreux, he would come down crying, begging me to go back upstairs and convince his parents to let him join Le Havre.”
But in the end, Le Havre simply could not compete financially with Stade Rennais FC.
Reports claim Rennes offered housing and small jobs to Dembélé’s mother and stepfather as part of the deal. Eventually, the heartbreaking call came from Dembélé himself.
At just 13 years old, he personally phoned Le Havre to tell them he had chosen Rennes instead.
Years later, the boy who cried over his dream became one of the biggest names in world football.