The Tottenham Hotspur ace is widely considered to be one of Europe’s best midfielders.
Mauricio Pochettino spoke to reporters ahead of his side’s clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday, and raved about the quality of Mousa Dembele, comparing the Belgian to Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho, as quoted by Football.London.
The 30-year-old joined Tottenham from Fulham in the summer of 2012, for a fee believed to be worth in the region of £15 million, and he has since gone on to establish himself as one of the finest midfielders in world football.
Unfortunately for both him and his team, he has suffered horrendous luck with injuries during his time in north London, and his inability to play a full campaign has probably cost him the chance of winning multiple individual honours.
Pochettino offered high words of praise for Dembele, when speaking during his pre-match press conference today, and suggested that the midfielder has similar qualities to the likes of Maradona and Ronaldinho, as quoted by Football.London:
“For me he is this type of player, I think I told you in my book, I put him next to Ronaldinho, Maradona, Okocha – players that I was lucky to play with. I think for me is one of the unbelievable talents in the history of football. Of course always for him it was difficult to get fit, he always fits with his fitness. But now he is in an amazing moment and for me he deserves all the praises that people are giving him.”
One criticism of Dembele has to be his lack of goals and assists – he has failed to notch either in 20 Premier League appearances so far this season.
And until he starts to be more productive in the final third, he surely cannot be compared to some of the world’s greatest ever players.
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