Mousa Dembélé: Poetic montage shows why pro players rave about ex-Tottenham star | OneFootball

Mousa Dembélé was a footballer’s footballer.

When you look back at lists of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, there’s a good chance that Dembélé might not feature even if it extends to a top 30, top 40, top 50 or more.

But if you know, you know, because for what Dembélé might have lacked in the raw statistics that inform so much of the modern game, he made up with the eye test in spades upon spades.

What made Dembélé such a great player?

In other words, just a few minutes of watching the Belgian wizard and you knew that regardless of his goal and assist statistics that he was simply cut from a different cloth.

It’s not for no reason that countless of his former teammates immediately say his name when they’re asked for the best player they ever shared a dressing room with.

Dembélé was silk on a football pitch: effortlessly orchestrating the game with tiny little touches that made it look as though the ball was under his spell.

He would slalom through opposition midfielders not with fancy skills nor brute strength, but with an almost mesmeric simplicity where he’d simply ghost past their presence.

Such was his perfect poise and cool composure that it’s a wonder he never played for, say, Real Madrid or Barcelona, eventually waving goodbye to Tottenham Hotspur and winding down his career with Guangzhou City.

But if anything, the fact that Dembélé continued to fly under the radar so much only strengthened his status as the hidden gem of the Premier League adored by connoisseurs, hipsters and footballers themselves.

Premier League quiz: Can you name all 40 of these players from the 2010s?

Is Dembélé one of the ‘best midfielders dribblers of all time’?

Really, though, everybody knows that Dembélé was a class above deep down.

So take it as a Christmas present from the team here at GIVEMESPORT that we’re bringing that embedded knowledge to the fore by gracing you with a hearty serving of Dembélé magnificence.

And we’re doing so with a viral video from 2020 that was proudly shared with the declaration that Dembélé is one of the ‘best midfield dribblers of all time,’ and who are we to disagree?

So be sure to check out why thousands upon thousands of football fans indulged in just under two minutes of Dembélé magic by watching the master at work for yourself down below:

Video: Dembélé oozes pure class with sumptuous dribbling

It’s actually disheartening how easy he makes the sport look.

In much the way that fellow ex-Spurs player Dimitar Berbatov would exude a permanent aura of nonchalance, Dembélé never looked like he was breaking a sweat as he dished out some of the most applause-worthy football that the Premier League has ever seen.

So while he might not be treasured amongst English football’s heroes as much as he should be, we can all rest assured that those who need to know about Dembélé, know.

You can bring him up in conversation over a pint at the pub, your mate across the table can simply nod at you and you both know exactly what’s been said. If you know, you know.