Mousa Dembele has retired from international football.
Typically, there’s been no song and dance about it, and he talked about it as part of an interview on Belgian TV.
Once his Tottenham career ended in the January 2019 transfer window, and Dembele joined Guangzhou R&F, he decided that it was time to end his days with the Belgium national team.
Dembele had suffered with fitness problems for a while before leaving Tottenham, and it contributed to the reasoning behind his Spurs exit. Travelling between China and Europe for national team gatherings was thought to be a strain the 32 year old could do without, even if manager Roberto Martinez tried to change the player’s mind.
Belgian newspaper De Morgen have covered the interview, and there’s a chunk of it relating to Tottenham and the pressures Dembele put on his body to be available as much as possible.
De Morgen quote him explaining that the demands at Spurs, added to Belgium, led to ‘chaos’ and pressure on his schedule: “It was chaotic in my head. At Tottenham they had a sharp program. It was always spicy. And then I had to go to the national team. While other players were given time to rest and have their bodies recuperate, those matches were added.
“I am proud to have been able to play for Belgium. I always thought it was super nice, but there was a certain vibe at Tottenham. Like this: we want you to play, you have to play. Both from the trainers and the supporters. That motivated me, let me squeeze it to the limit. I felt a huge appreciation. And gave more than I could.”
Given his obvious talent, Dembele was asked if he could have achieved more, to which he replied: “I am convinced that I could have had an even better career. But not everyone is Cristiano Ronaldo who is constantly working on it from the morning. But it is not in my character to regret something.”
Tottenham fans, and surely Jose Mourinho, would love a prime Mousa Dembele available to them right now.
