Karamoko Dembele (centre) was just 13 years old when he made his debut for Celtic's under-20s. Photo: PA/Andrew Milligan
The peculiarity of a young child prodigy is that you seem frozen in time; everyone remembers you the way you were then.
And when Karamoko Dembele broke into the collective consciousness, he made an indelible impression. He was only 13 years old when he moved to Celtic's under-20 team, and in the photo of him coming on as a substitute, he barely touched the fourth official's chest.
He looked so small, so clumsy. one can only imagine that there has been a huge administrative error. In truth, at a time when Celtic's youth ranks were having a bit of an injury and a congestion of matches, he was brought in because the others were out. But as soon as his appearance became known, speculation quickly took hold that this was the football equivalent of the second coming, that a rare talent was revealed.
Recalling that moment seven years later, Dembele, who had just joined Blackpool on loan ” from the First League, is philosophical about it.
«I didn't think about it until people took notice, I just thought it was okay,» he recalls of his landmark debut. “Anyway, I used to play in the older age group, I always played a couple of years older when I retired from the game. So I didn't think it was crazy. Until the people made a fuss. With social media and everything else, this becomes more important than you might think at the time. It made it more valuable than it was worth.”
However, the young lad, born in Lambeth, south London but whose parents moved to Glasgow when he was just one year old, went through the Celtic system. A fast, agile and intelligent playmaker, at the age of 16 he signed his first professional contract. Almost immediately, in 2019, he earned himself a Scottish Cup medal, albeit as an unused substitute. It seemed that he was not so much destined to climb to the top, but already there.
“When I was younger, things just happened,” he says in his thick Glaswegian accent. “You just live in the present moment, it happens around you. It's not what you think: this is it, this is how it will be.”
And that's good too. Because, unfortunately, it didn't happen. The injury stopped his progress. He still trained with the Celtic first team, but his playing time had become vanishingly rare.
“You need to play,” he says. “The moment you're just training, it can get a little repetitive. The games are fun for the fans and all that is at stake. That's what makes it meaningful. Looking back, you talk about the games you played, not the training sessions.”
Because his development seemed to have stalled, Celtic did not renew his contract. And at the age of 18 he moved to France to play for Brest. Although once there, in a team struggling at the foot of Ligue 1, progress was not what he wanted. For the main team, he played only 16 matches.
“My path is difficult. They talked about me from the age of 13, but I did not have the opportunity to prove it, ”he suggests. “Everyone is different, some people mature faster, some can mature at 29. But I have learned a lot. I lived alone in France, I matured as a person and as a player. I'm always open to learning.»
Karamoko Dembele warms up ahead of Blackpool's victory over Wigan Athletic Photo: News Images/Steve Flynn < p>His last training experience came a couple of weeks ago when he got a call from Neil Critchley, Blackpool's manager in League One. Would he be interested in signing a contract with the club on a season-long loan?
“When I first spoke to the manager, everything he said made me think that this could be the right place,” says He. “He was the main factor in signing the contract. He seems to be a top manager, he was at Liverpool and all that, I heard good things. I hope he will give me the opportunity to show him what I can do.”
And what he can do is impressive: fast, sharp and full of ambition, he remains a huge talent. Although League One is no easy task for a man who, despite representing England in the age groups, has never played in that country's league.
«My brother [Siriki, Birmingham City striker] played in this country. level earlier, he told me. He said if you're on a team that tries to play the right way, you'll love it. I will be just happy to play football. I don't think too much about the future.»
Even after remaining on the bench during Blackpool's victory over Wigan on Saturday, he is hopeful he can finally live up to the expectations placed on the shoulders of this tiny 13-year-old boy.
«I think the problem is that people still judge me by my youth,» he says. “I forgot about it. And, mainly, I need to prove that I can do it in the first team. For the last couple of years, I've needed a full season. But I just couldn't get it. Anything happens in football, you have to deal with it. I hope that with this step I will be able to get the most out of myself.
And at least the environment is conducive to this. After all, every summer tens of thousands of people travel from Glasgow to Blackpool for some fresh air and fun.
«I've never been here before,» he says of the city. “But when I was growing up, I heard a lot about it. I know a lot of Scots come here. I hope if they come to see me when they are here, they will have fun.”
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