Mousa Dembele: Gerrard, Lampard & Ferdinand were in awe of Spurs icon before CL game | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur icon Mousa Dembele has revealed that he will retire from football at the end of the season.

According to The Sun, the Belgian maestro has rejected a new contract offer from Chinese side Guangzhou City, where he’s been since January 2019.

Dembele himself took to Instagram on Tuesday to confirm that while he hasn’t officially retired as of yet, his playing days will in fact be over in due course.

The fact the 34-year-old’s career will be over slightly prematurely is rather sad, as there was a time when he was up there among the best midfielders on the planet.

In his pomp at Spurs under Mauricio Pochettino’s leadership, the former Fulham man was virtually unplayable.

Dembele turned into an elite-level defensive midfielder in north London after arriving at the club as more of an attack-minded player and his evolution as a footballer really was quite something.

Most players simply couldn’t lay a glove on him when he was in full flow. The Belgian was simply too strong, too quick and too skilful, while he was also able to dissect any team with just one pass.

Dembele was so good that Premier League legends Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard were completely in awe of him ahead of Spurs’ Champions League group stage match against Juventus in 2018.

Check out footage of the trio waxing lyrical about the midfielder here…

Video: Lampard, Ferdinand & Gerrard in awe of Dembele at Spurs

When you get reviews like that from three of the greatest players the English game has ever seen, you know you’re pretty darn special.

Gerrard’s statement about the fact that Dembele could embarrass players with a combination of skill and power is bang on the money and it’s something that few others have been able to do on a regular basis.

Patrick Vieira is one name that springs to mind instantly, although even the Arsenal legend wasn’t able to do it quite as effortlessly as Dembele could in his prime.

To borrow a cliche, the streets will never, ever forget the brilliance of Mousa Sidi Yaya Dembele.