Were you one of those stunned by Ousmane Dembélé’s prolific excellence last season, when he gave definitive proof that he is in the world’s top two or three footballers? If so, it might be that, like many, you viewed Paris Saint-Germain’s extravagantly talented Frenchman as someone who plays off the cuff; you might have thought that his moments of inspiration were products of the fact that neither he, nor his opponent, really knew what was going to happen next. That turns out to be very far from the truth.

He is clinically bright in football terms: analytical, sharp-minded and currently feeling like he rules the world, but he’s harnessing his preternatural abilities to the Luis Enrique-Paris Champions League crusade. For direct evidence of how his brain works, I’m going to let you in on the fascinating skills he demonstrated the last time he and I met.

This was back in August, and the Paris star had just finished his first day of training after the briefest of summer vacations, with the UEFA Super Cup looming.