When it comes to discussing the modern greats, France and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé always enters the equation. The former PSG player seems to have been around forever, yet he hasn’t even hit the peak years of his career and already has multiple titles under his belt, including the FIFA World Cup.

Mbappé has a lot of star power, but his compatriot Ousmane Dembélé, who is now centre stage at PSG, is filling the sizeable boots that Mbappé left behind in Paris. But is there an argument for Dembélé being better than Mbappé in terms of finishing flair?

Dembélé vs. Mbappé: The New Superstar Rivalry?

Fans have always been evaluating and rating famous football stars. Look at Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: these players have been endlessly compared by their followers over the years.

These two are everywhere, from TV ads to £3 deposit slots. Among these slots are Top Trumps Football Stars from Playtech, where you can build a dream team with icons like Messi and Ronaldo, or Football Champion by Cool Games, which has familiar faces like Ronaldo and Neymar on its reels.

Dembélé and Mbappé are quickly becoming superstars in their own right. And they're already almost as recognisable as Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. But how can we compare them?

Balancing the Metrics

Comparing players is tough, because different metrics paint very different pictures. Sometimes, a player can be better than another in just one particular area, like assists, chance creation, successful dribbles and penalty kicks. So it’s all about how you look at things.

The New Face of PSG

Like Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé is also a 2018 World Cup Winner and arrived in the City of Lights following a 2023 move from Barcelona. It took a little while for him to settle in and for the goals to start flowing, but now having seemingly found his feet, he is the fulcrum of PSG’s attack.

Positioning

The big difference between Dembélé and Mbappé is how they attack. Mbappé has always been fantastic at driving into space to receive the ball. He can exploit spaces in behind defenders, typically from the left, because he has electrifying pace.

In contrast, Dembélé likes to receive the ball earlier and run at people. That’s understandable because he used to operate on the wing a lot, and the role of wingers is to beat players and provide chances for others.

But when playing in a more central role up front, Dembélé operates best as a false nine. That makes him so hard to pick up by defenders, and it generally gives him time with the ball at his feet to do his damage.

Assists

There’s also a more selfish element about Mbappé’s overall game than that of Dembélé. Dembélé’s assists and passes attempted per game were higher than Mbappé’s in the 2023/24 Ligue 1 season when they played side by side.

Mbappé, however, won out in every goal-scoring statistic going against Dembélé, but there is a false narrative in there. Dembélé wasn’t the main focal point of attack, as he was there to provide for Mbappé.

After Mbappé's departure, PSG's attack started to look very different. Dembélé’s goal-scoring, shot accuracy and shot on target stats have gone through the roof, surpassing those of Mbappé’s in his final Ligue 1 season. But reliably on top of all that, Dembélé has retained his extremely high assist and passing rate, arguably making him a more complete player.

Who Is the Better Finisher?

Dembélé has left behind that tag of being a player that was “all bark and no bite” during his time at Barcelona. That’s credit to Luis Enrique at PSG, who has overseen the Frenchman’s transformation.

Because of Mbappé’s speed, he has developed a superb eye for goal in one-on-one situations with the keeper. He can finish with both feet as well, and his positional awareness and timing are both crucial to his output.

Dembélé is also very effective with both feet and since moving to a more central position, has looked like a more complete player. Even though playing centrally, he still likes to cut in from the edge of the box to slot chances home across the face of the goal.

But he’s also capable of producing some cool-headed chips and ghosting in at the back post for tap-ins. Dembélé seems to have an inherent natural instinct of finding the corner of the net and his composure in front of the goal has grown exponentially.

The Great Debate

Whether Dembélé is better than Mbappé, will always be up for debate. They play in different leagues, under very different tactics and of course, they are very different players as well. Dembélé is all about finesse, dribbling and creativity, whereas Mbappé is all about speed, power and precision.

Dembélé’s all-round flair for finishing, with either foot or his head, though is almost making Mbappé look like a one-trick pony. The big question for PSG fans is whether or not the consistency will be there season after season, like it’s been for Mbappé throughout his entire career.