"Takes a 40% wage cut and turns into Ronaldinho", "Ousmane Stephen Curry Dembele" - Barcelona fans lose their mind as French winger plays like prime Lionel Messi and scores two wonder goals against Juventus

Barcelona fans were reminded of club legend Lionel Messi as Ousmane Dembele produced twin moments of magic against Juventus on July 27. The French winger scored two wonderful solo goals in the pre-season friendly at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Texas.

Dembele, 25, opened the scoring in the match in the 34th minute. He picked up the ball on the right wing and drove forward, turning and twisting into the Juventus box. He then cut onto his weaker right foot and scored through a vicious low shot past Wojciech Szczesny.

The Frenchman scored again six minutes later in a similar fashion. He nutmegged Juan Cuadrado and this time cut onto his left foot and put a brilliant shot past the Polish goalkeeper.

Both goals were reminiscent of the numerous goals Messi scored in a Blaugrana shirt.

The Catalans continued their good showing, producing numerous opportunities to score, especially in the second half. Raphinha hit the woodwork from a well-struck free kick. Moments later, Ansu Fati hit the woodwork again from a curling effort.

The Bianconeri, though, scored via a Moise Kean brace as the match finished 2-2.

However, Barcelona fans were delighted with Dembele's performance, who has recently signed a two-year contract with the club. They took to Twitter to heap praise on the French winger and here are some reactions:

Barcelona fans will hope the French winger can build on this form going into the new season as well.

Ousmane Dembele looks for a resurgence at Barcelona

Dembele was poised to leave the club earlier this summer with his contract expiring (via AS).

His move to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for an initial fee of €105 million arguably didn't work out as expected. Recurring injury issues have kept him on the sidelines for long periods as he has played just 150 matches across all competitions for the Catalans. He has registered 32 goals and 34 assists in that time.

However, he has now signed a two-year contract to stay at the club until 2024, even taking a wage cut.

The Frenchman turned his fortunes around under Xavi last season. He was La Liga's highest assist provider with 13 assists in just 21 matches. Eleven of those 13 assists came in the final 14 games of the season.

His good run in the pre-season bodes well for Xavi as Barca prepare to fight for silverware ahead of the new season.

Moreover, he will now have to compete for his position with new signing Raphinha. This will perhaps be another motivation for the Frenchman to prove himself.

Earlier, the Blaugrana registered a 1-0 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid on July 23 in Las Vegas.

Barcelona will next face the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey on July 31. They will then fly back to Camp Nou to face Pumas UNAM in the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 6.

About the author

Aditya has been working as a European football journalist and editor for Sportskeeda for close to 4 years. He boasts a total experience of over 7 years, and always aims to inculcate proper context in his articles, making the most of his prior stints in writing and marketing across a number of different industries over the years. He has also played football at college level for 2 years.

A B.Tech. graduate, Aditya's journey as an ardent football fan began after watching the elegant maestro Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final. He has been a fan of Tottenham Hotspur's front foot and creative football since 2008 and connect's with the club's underdog status.

Aditya, who is a Sportskeeda 'Long-form Editor of the Month' award winner, is a big admirer of Luka Modric's elegant and hard-working style of play. His favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian allows his players enough freedom in an age where micromanagement is the established norm.

Aditya feels Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala could replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their incredible collective potential. In his free time, he likes to read classical fiction, travel to places, and explore a variety of foods.

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