Ousmane Dembele is one of the best players in world football.
The Ballon d’Or holder has been exceptional for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team, and he will go down in history as a great for both club and country.
However, in the World Cup this summer, a former Arsenal player who was widely regarded as a flop appears to have outshone him in the rankings: Nicolas Pepe.
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Nicolas Pepe ranked higher than Ousmane Dembele at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Pepe and Ousmane Dembele in the same sentence will certainly raise eyebrows.
The former Arsenal man was an extremely talented winger when he was at Lille and earned himself a massive move to the Emirates Stadium.
However, his spell in North London didn’t justify the £72 million paid to sign him, and he was released by Mikel Arteta.
Dembele, on the other hand, has been one of the best players in the world since he joined PSG, and he has been great for France as well.
Yet, Gradient Sports’ World Cup player rankings have ranked Pepe higher than Dembele.
The Ivory Coast international has been ranked the 25th best player at the World Cup after he scored two goals and provided an assist in three starts.
Dembele sits one place below Pepe despite scoring five goals and providing two assists in seven starts for the French national team.
The former Arsenal record signing is also ahead of the likes of Rodri, Kai Havertz, and even Michael Olise, who is many people’s pick for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
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