Mousa Dembele: ‘More talented than Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne’ – What team-mates, coaches and opponents said about midfielder

Mousa Dembele: ‘More talented than Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne’ – What team-mates, coaches and opponents said about midfielder
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele is going to be sorely missed by the club’s fans.Some rivals supporters, looking at basic statistics like goals and assists, have felt he was overrated.But when Dembele’s team-mates, rivals, and pundits have spoken about him, it’s easy to see he’s loved by everyone for his unique skills on a football pitch.5

Former Tottenham Hotspur ace Mousa Dembele is highly regarded by those in the game

Mauricio Pochettino described him as a ‘genius’ and compared him to Diego Maradona in one famous quote.So now, as Dembele heads to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F for 11million, talkSPORT.com take a look at what the great and the good have said about him across his time in the Premier League. Eric Dier“Have you not seen him play? Mousas just special, full stop.Hes incredible because hes massive. One of his legs is two of mine. His balance is incredible. His movement physically is so superior and then to ally that with the technical ability he has is incredible.“I love Mousa, the most relaxed man in football. Hes become a very good friend.5

Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele embrace at the World Cup in 2018.

Victor Wanyama“He glides past players easily in training and in games. You know what hes going to do, but you cant get the ball off him.”Jan Vertonghen“I dont think people know how good Mousa is. You can ask every single player in the team and I dont think you can describe how good Mousa is. You can only know if you play with him or against him, see him train for a couple of weeks, then youll find out.“Hes a special player and I cant think of anyone else who is a bit like him. For me, hes up there with the best two or three midfielders in the league. Hes a very humble guy, thats one of his main characteristics. Hes a very special player and I certainly prefer to play with him than against him.”Dele Alli“He’s very good. His feet are unbelievable. He’s so big as well but shifts his body so easily, I don’t know how he does it.”

Happy #WorldAnimalDay. #beast #goat pic.twitter.com/sThB8045xm— Jan Vertonghen (@JanVertonghen) October 4, 2017

Jan Vertonghen – againPlaying against Mousa is something very hard. And to be fair he used to be a striker, and I was a defender, so I played a couple games against him. It is very hard to stop him, but Im not going to tell the trick. I dont even have the key. Thats one of Mousas main qualities, is that hes that strong on the ball. I cant help you with this question.

Danny Rose at the darts holding up a '@mousadembele GOAT' sign! Class. #COYS #LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/lgMe29yx6a— Nick Munday (@NM_sport) January 1, 2017

Danny RoseMousa Dembele hes the most difficult to tackle. The Belgian and Dutch players play Futsal growing up, and hes one of the best at it. Hes made half the Premier League look silly with his skills, and we have to suffer that every day in training! Hes a joy to watch.Harry Winks“His sheer power, his pace, his strength, but his technique as well with both feet. The way he can just beat any player facing them up.”Kevin De Bruyne“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.”5

Mousa Dembele beats Kevin De Bruyne in the Premier League.

Granit Xhaka“In the middle of a match, I told him what I thought. ‘How do you do what you do? You front me up, I think I am going to tackle you and you manipulate the ball and move it so quickly.’ He was laughing.”Kyle Walker“You always think he’s going to go left, but he pushes it that far that you can’t get it. It’s a joy to watch and the ball is like glueit doesn’t move from his feet.”Martin Jol“Dembele is probably one of the most gifted players I’ve ever had. I said that to [Dimitar] Berbatov.“I said ‘You were probably my most gifted player I’ve ever seen, but Dembele is a very good second one’. Dembele could play for any top team in the world. He is so strong and he will never lose the ball. He is so good.”Les Ferdinand“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.’ ”5

Ross Barkley fouls Mousa Dembele.

Ross Barkley“He’s probably the hardest player I’ve played against. He’s a strong player, he gets his foot in well and dictates play.”Wesley Sonck“Some may say they want Eden or De Bruyne, but Mousa has the most qualities its not normal how strong he is on the ball. I’ve seen him during training turn Kompany into a fool.Jermaine Jenas“When I have watched him or played against him, in games or in training, I know exactly what he is bringing to the table for the team.And when he is at the top of his game, which he is at the moment, he is one of the best central midfielders in Europe – there is no doubt about that.”5

Scott Parker and Mousa Dembele during a Europa League clash with Basel.

Scott Parker“He is one of the most difficult players that I’ve played against. … You know he will go on his left foot, but he can manipulate the ball and use his body. He is the best at shielding the ball.”Martin Jol – againSometimes I thought of resting him but even the idea of starting without him made me sweat.Rio Ferdinand on his early 2018 form“It was always said that he does not create enough, that he does not score, that he does not do this and that.But in recent weeks he has shown that at the highest level nobody can dictate a match better than he does.He determines the pace of the match in the midfield.He is a top director.”

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