Missing six of the first seven weeks of the season, Mousa Dembélé is now once again one of the key members of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side.
The 29-year-old has made 22 appearances for Spurs this campaign, and despite not scoring or assisting all that much, he remains a driving force in their midfield, capable of recovering and bringing the ball forward to start attacks.
Speaking to Gazet van Antwerpen, relayed by DH, he said: “You don’t teach a kid like that how to play football. We used to call him snake man, he just slalomed through player. He dribble past everyone, as if he were dancing.”
Signing for Germinal Beerschot aged 12, the midfielder met a certain Jan Vertonghen, with whom he won the prestigious Nike Cup.
Moves to Willem II an AZ Alkmaar followed before a move to the Premier League presented itself with Fulham.
Making a name for himself in England, Dembélé was quickly snapped up by Tottenham, where has been since 2012.
However, according to his friend Mohamed Messoudi, the Spurs man could have gone even further in his career were it not for his kindness.
He said: “Mousa is a really nice guy. Maybe sometimes too nice. If he had more personality, he would have played for Real Madrid”.
At 29 years of age, there’s still time for Dembélé to get one last big move in his career, but considering how well Tottenham are doing these days under Pochettino, and with the new stadium just around the corner, would he feel the need to?
We doubt it.
