Dembele booked Griezmann's number 7 shirt before his international retirement

Hurria Butt 3 months ago 4.5k |

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Dembele told Griezmann that he would take the number 7 shirt if he retired. AFP

Following Antoine Griezmann's international retirement, Ousmane Dembele has taken the number 7 shirt for the French national team. However, the PSG forward revealed that the pair had already agreed on the matter well before Griezmann announced his retirement.

Ousmane Dembele has officially taken the number 7 shirt for the French national team following the retirement of Antoine Griezmann from international duty. The PSG forward explained that he had always wanted to wear the number 7, but couldn't as it was already taken by his French copatriot.

With the 27-year-old number being free, Dembele didn't think twice before claiming it. "Why the number 7? Simply because it's my favourite number. I had it at Barcelona and also at Dortmund," he said as he spoke to 'Telefoot'.

That said, the 27-year-old revealed that he had spoken to Griezmann about taking his number well in advance. "We talked about it long time ago. I told him 'Antoine if you retire from the national team I'm taking your number 7', so yes, it was settled a while ago," Dembele said.

Dembele will be back in action with the number 7 on the back of his shirt on Monday as France go up against Belgium in the Nations League. The clash will be the final match of the October international break before he returns to PSG for their game against Strasbourg in Ligue 1.