Know your Dembeles
Having trouble deciphering your 'Ousmanes' from your 'Moussas'? Confusing your 'Moussas' with your 'Mousas'? Well this guide to football's most popular name is your new best friend.
Chances are, in football, someone named 'Dembele' is doing something, somewhere, at any given time - such is the popularity of the name sweeping the game.
No doubt you'll have seen a fair few of them strutting their stuff on beIN SPORTS over the past couple of years.
In an investigative journalism first, the boffins in the beIN technical department have scoured the footballing globe to bring you the definitive list of the 'Dembeles': from the established stars, to the up-and-comers, to the journeymen, plying their trade in the lower leagues.
Karamoko Dembele
Age: 13
Club: Celtic
He may be too young to watch American Pie, but the 13 year-old is already turning heads at Celtic, earning a call-up to the England Under 15’s and Scotland Under 16’s.
Dembele made headlines in October when he made his debut for Celtic’s under-20’s as a 13 year-old and if these highlights are anything to go by, there's no doubting Karamoko will be the real deal in years to come.
Mousa Dembele
Age: 29
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
The Tottenham star needs no introduction, but here’s one anyway. Mousa Dembele was a regular at Youth level for the Belgian national team, playing from U16 level right through to the 19s before going on to earn 65 caps for the senior team.
A silky box-to-box midfielder, Dembele is widely praised for his ability to maintain possession and was instrumental in Tottenham’s blistering start to the Premier League season. Not to be confused with Celtic star Moussa and Senegalese hurdler... Moussa. More on them later.
Mana Dembele
Age: 28
Club: Le Havre
Mana laces on the boots for Le Havre - of Riyad Mahrez alma mater fame - in the French Second division.
He's yet to attract the headlines of some of the Dembeles on this list, but can take inspiration from his Algerian former team-mate.
Garra Dembele
Age: 30
Club: FC Solothurn
The journeyman striker has played for nine clubs in the last 13 years including Bundesliga side SC Freiburg.
His most prolific run came at Bulgarian side Levski Sofia where he scored 38 goals in 25 league appearances, and averaged a goal every 77 minutes in 2010-2011.
Perhaps an A-League stint could be on the cards - the Australian top flight feels ready for its own Dembele.
Moussa Dembele
Age: 20
Club: Celtic
In a scenario totally not confusing to Fulham fans in the least, the 20 year-old became the second Moussa Dembele (although the other one was spelt with one 's') to make a Premier League appearance for the club within two years and eventually broke out of the shadow of his namesake, scoring 19 goals in 64 games before sealing a move to Celtic in 2016.
Dembele has hit the ground running at Celtic Park with 17 goals in 25 appearances.
Ousmane Dembele
Age: 19
Club: Borussia Dortmund
The 19 year-old burst onto the scene in his debut season at Rennes with 13 goals in 18 games before sealing a move to Borussia Dortmund.
A dangerous dribbler with an eye for goal, Ousmane has gone from strength-to-strength under Thomas Tuchel to become one of the hottest young prospects in Europe.
Bira Dembele
Age: 28
Club: Barnet F.C.
The rangy defender broke into the Stade Rennes first team as a 20 year-old and its sadly been a slippery slide down the football tiers since.
The 28 year-old is now plodding along at English fourth-tier side Barnet.
Other Dembeles:
- Bassirou Dembele - USFAS Bamako
- Boubacar Dembele - Meyrin FC
- Makan Dembele - USFAS Bamako
- Souleymane Dembele - Stade Malien
- Alilou Dembele - FC Chamois Niort
- Modibo Dembele - Stade Laval
- Bakary Dembele - AS Real Bamako
- Moussa Dembele - A hurdler who represented Senegal at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games (we thought he was worth a mention).
