PSG bolstered by return of ‘best player’ Ousmane Dembélé

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique will hope to count on striker Ousmane Dembélé for Sunday’s Club World Cup finale against Chelsea, after a stunning 4-0 thrashing over Real Madrid in the tournament’s penultimate stage.

The Ballon d’Or frontrunner rested the entire group stage after sustaining a thigh injury while on duty with France and was limited to substitute appearances in earlier knockout rounds, getting his first start of the tournament on Wednesday against the LaLiga titans.

He made an immediate impact, aiding Fabián Ruiz in the opening goal in the sixth minute before sending one into the net three minutes later at MetLife Stadium.

Luis Enrique previously told reporters that he believed Dembélé is deserving of the Ballon d’Or, and on Wednesday said there was no doubt that the Frenchman had once again shown himself worthy of soccer’s top individual honour.

“I’d like to highlight that this is the first game that I had my best player, Dembélé, at his best,” he told reporters. “We’d seen him very little throughout this tournament, this is a critical player, a unique player, a player that every fan wants to see… hopefully we can have him for the final.”

The trophy on Sunday against Chelsea would mark a glittering end to a terrific season, as Luis Enrique steered the team to the continental treble, with a 5-0 defeat of Inter Milan in the Champions League final in his second year with the team.

“We are one game away to not just make history but to build to history of Paris, of a French club that might get every cup, every tournament,” Luis Enrique told reporters. “This is very significant for us, for our fans.”

The Club World Cup final is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium to bring a close to the inaugural edition of the 32-team FIFA club competition.

Information from Reuters was used in this story.