France have looked frightening at the World Cup so far and face Paraguay in their last 16 clash as heavy favourites, with 1998 winner Marcel Desailly insists one of Les Bleus' big names is yet to show his best05:00, 04 Jul 2026France World Cup legend Marcel Desailly believes this World Cup has not yet seen the best of Ousmane Dembele.PSG star Dembele had never scored in a tournament before but now is in the race for the Golden Boot with four goals, two behind teammate Kylian Mbappe and Argentina's Lionel Messi.Dembele scored in the 3-0 defeat of Iraq before landing a first-half hat-trick in the 4-1 defeat of Norway in their final group match.Dembele, who won the World Cup in 1998, said: “Yes, I think Ousmane Dembélé can get even better. He hasn’t been perfect at this tournament, you saw that in the match against Senegal, where I thought he played with some difficulty, but it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembélé who struggled. Once we readjusted for the second half, we were much better and so was Dembele.‌“Against Norway, even though the coach Ståle Solbakken decided to rest six or seven players, France were magnificent. You can only beat the opponent you play, but France showed great potential, great desire, and great chemistry – everything flowed in that game.”Get the latest World Cup 2026 news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletterFrance meet Paraguay in their round-of-16 tie in Philadelphia on Saturday night.‌Desailly said: “I would like to see Dembele lift his level a little bit, I would like to see him taking on his opponent much more.“His understanding with his teammates is absolutely incredible. He can do more. He can definitely do more now that he has the sweetness in his mouth of playing for France as a winger rather than as a false nine like he does for PSG.“Because of his form and his status, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to accept the idea that he should play as a winger again and, in many ways, letting his captain Kylian Mbappé take all the rewards.‌“He’s in place in his new role, he can for sure do more. Barcelona took him because he was an amazing winger. They paid 150 million Euros for him.“He’s an amazing winger. Both feet. As a defender, you don’t know how to mark him; it’s almost impossible.“Dembele can become even more clinical if he has the desire and the mental focus to do so.”Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.‌Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌