A previously undisclosed strain in the relationship between Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique and Ousmane Dembele has emerged following a tense episode after the club’s Ligue 1 match against Rennes.
Dembele has never hidden how much he owes Luis Enrique. The Paris Saint-Germain manager is widely credited with transforming the France forward’s career and guiding him to the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
However, their relationship has also included difficult moments, including an incident recently reported to have taken place in the dressing room at Roazhon Park.
Paris Saint-Germain were 2-0 down in their opening Ligue 1 match against Rennes, which had to be played away from Parc des Princes because of concerns over the condition of the pitch. Despite the situation, Luis Enrique made the surprise decision to substitute Dembele in the second half.
Ferran Torres replaced him and made an immediate impact on his debut, scoring twice to earn Paris Saint-Germain a 2-2 draw.
Luis Enrique said after the match: “This is football. Paris Saint-Germain have won nothing, absolutely nothing. If you focus on what you have won, you will win nothing. The most important thing for me is that there is no room for complacency: you have to prove yourself every day, in every training session, in every match. Otherwise, it is easy to become complacent.”
He added: “No. Our objective is always to win, and to do that, you have to get out of your comfort zone. Is that clear?”
French newspaper L’Equipe has since reported that tensions between Luis Enrique and Dembele became apparent inside the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room after the match.
According to the report, Dembele was the final Paris Saint-Germain player to board the team bus. L’Equipe said the delay was because he remained behind waiting for his manager.
The latest development also means Dembele will not be available for Paris Saint-Germain’s next match against Lille. The forward had not been given enough time to rest and reached an agreement with Luis Enrique to extend his holiday.
As a result, he will not return to the squad until next Monday, ruling him out of the Lille fixture.
The episode comes against the backdrop of a relationship that has otherwise been portrayed as highly influential in Dembele’s rise. Luis Enrique’s management helped establish the player as a central figure at Paris Saint-Germain and played a major role in his success during 2025.
Yet the manager’s decision to remove him while the team were trailing Rennes, followed by the reported dressing-room tension, has highlighted the demanding standards he expects from his players. His post-match comments made clear that past achievements would not guarantee Dembele, or any other member of the squad, special treatment.
