Tottenham Hotspur have boasted a number of talented footballers throughout recent years, including Golden Boot winners, World Cup winners and European champions. But Mousa Dembele was unquestionably one of the best to pull on the famous white shirt - just ask any of his team-mates.
Dembele was a rock in the middle of the Spurs midfield under Mauricio Pochettino, and played 249 times for the club during his time in north London. He failed to collect any trophies, and it's easy to argue his time at the club was somewhat overlooked.
However, while pundits and fans might not have truly recognised his genius at the time, that certainly wasn't the case with his team-mates. Indeed, Kevin de Bruyne explained that he felt Dembele would be the best player in the world in a five-a-side format.
The Manchester City megastar said: “For me, in a 5-a-side, he’s the best player in the world. So strong on the ball, you can never take it off him. Offensively and defensively [he’s] one of the best.”
Dembele was known for his strength on the ball and his ability to move the ball forward and create chances for attackers. And Dele Alli previously explained what it was like playing with the Belgian.
“He’s very good. His feet are unbelievable," the former Spurs man said. "He’s so big as well but shifts his body so easily, I don’t know how he does it.”
One of Dembele's opponents, Wesley Snock, described Dembele as having more talent than either De Bruyne or Eden Hazard. He said: “Some may say they want Eden or De Bruyne, but Mousa has the most qualities – it’s not normal how strong he is on the ball. I’ve seen him during training turn Kompany into a fool.”
Dembele's time at Tottenham ended shortly after the 2019 Champions League final, which Spurs lost to Liverpool in Madrid. The midfielder ended up leaving the Premier League to sign for Chinese Super League side Guangzhou City.
Many felt Dembele would be destined to sign for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, especially at a time when Alli and Harry Kane were both being linked with moves away from north London.
And that was apparently a belief shared by those at the club, as Les Ferdinand explained: "We used to say to him: ‘You’re the next person to go to Real Madrid, you’re the next guy to go to Real Madrid from this club.’”
Another of Dembele's old team-mates, Danny Rose, explained how the Belgian was the toughest player to play against, but waxed lyrical about his performance in training.
He said: “Mousa Dembele – he’s the most difficult to tackle. The Belgian and Dutch players play Futsal growing up, and he’s one of the best at it. He’s made half the Premier League look silly with his skills, and we have to suffer that every day in training! He’s a joy to watch.”
