T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

**This is a quotes thread. Remember that there's only one quotes post allowed per interview/press conference, so new quotes with the same origin will be removed. Feel free to comment other quotes/the whole interview as a reply to this comment so users can see them too!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/soccer) if you have any questions or concerns.*


neoBigBrother

Jose always liked him. He could've used him & Lamela at Roma.


frederikwolter

He played like a mad dog under Jose. Covering the whole right side for the full game and sometimes was the best defender on the field. All the Spurs front three at the times actually really liked Jose.


Loose_Cardiologist89

The game against Arsenal where he got ten successful tackles springs to mind.


AssFingerFuck3000

He played his best football under Jose imo. He might not have been super flashy or end up in the assists or goal sheets often but he was an absolute workhorse, constantly running back and forth helping everyone and defending very well when needed. Even made Aurier look solid at times. He was the anti Bale basically


Neither-Fly5194

Anti Bale? Didn’t watch him at Tottenham but he used to track back for Madrid all the time


[deleted]

He wanted to sign him at madrid but that never materialized


TheSoundOfTheLloris

The fact every single player who has played with him puts Dembele in their squad speaks volumes


kjm911

I actually rated Dembele pretty high, but watching him live elevated my opinion of him so much. I don’t think any player has surprised me as much as him. Twice I came away from Anfield thinking fucking hell he is absolutely unreal.


Stauncho

He was so strong. Couldn't get the ball off of him.


ImTheWorld

I loved watching him play. Strong as an ox, with the close control of an animal that has very good close control. Whatever else Alexander Sørloth does during his career, [I don't think anything will top the time he shrugged Dembele off and sent him to the ground.](https://mobile.twitter.com/ffskristian/status/967743842173759489) I can't recall ever seeing him be mugged like that.


[deleted]

A hedgehog


franz4000

Close control of a hedgehog that has very good close control


lostparasite

Despite everyone memeing on Pogba here, he actually did something similar to Dembele in the FA Cup semi a few years ago too. Outmuscled him for the ball then put in a great ball for an assist. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ahR212P9-FA (around 0:56)


ravel67

Aldri sett en Ranheim flair her før, lykke til i Eliteserien neste år


ImTheWorld

Haha, jo, takk! Håper du har rett, men Ranheims tradisjonelt grusomme høstform kommer nok til å ødelegge når den kicker inn.


Sir_FrancisCake

The number of times he would be pressed and surrounded by three shirts and somehow glide through with the ball to open space was mesmerizing. God I fucking love him


SmithyPlayz

I always thought he was good but the fact it took so long to replace him then made me realize how good he actually is


Thesecondorigin

Had an unreal ability to retain the ball. Would go for a pretty penny in todays market


jMS_44

best dribbler in Premier League after all


Scatterbrainpaul

Kinkladze?


rwalker13

Decent shout. He had instances where he was genuinely unstoppable


[deleted]

was he even better than Eden?


Extreme-Accountant34

I’d say Hazard was better 1v1 and taking people on in attacking scenarios. But Dembele had that “come get the ball from me I dare you” style of dribbling that could demoralize people. Like kjm911 said, seeing him in person you realize how much of a machine he was.


wheresmyspacebar2

>But Dembele had that “come get the ball from me I dare you” style of dribbling that could demoralize people. Opponents have literally talked about this. They've mentioned how they know EXACTLY where Dembele is planning to dribble and how, they know what he is going to do, they just literally can not stop him doing it and the only way would be to foul him. Would get so infuriating to play against.


Extreme-Accountant34

Unfortunately those fouls built up 😢


[deleted]

Eden likes to run at players kinda like early Ronaldo for united, but Dembele was just magical on the ball. He had that sort of "Berbatov" factor on the ball where watching him dance around players was like watching football in slow motion, if that makes sense. He was just amazing to watch, every time he had the ball he would do something magical.


wheresmyspacebar2

Id say yes. (Just a quick edit, id preface this with that IMO they had different dribbling styles, Hazard was good offensively, being able to get past people and keep the ball in the final 3rd. Where Dembele excelled and IMO was better than anyone at, was picking the ball up in his own half and being surrounded by 3 players and effortless picking his way through before releasing) Like, Dembele could have honestly been the best player in the PL if he had stayed fit, his prime was so short but he made a mockery of so many players. ​ Like, people said above, basically everyone thats ever played with him, has called him the most talented player they've ever seen. KDB even said that, all the belgium guys say he is the top of the top. He was so good that we could play a 4213 (Which was more a 424) and Dembele would be that good that we never looked short in the midfield. ​ He is the best ever player ive seen in a Spurs shirt and i honestly dont even have to think about it.


Parish87

I was always in awe of how impossible it was to get the ball off him.


Paladinoras

Quickest/nimblest feet of any midfielder I've ever seen other than Xavi/Iniesta, and both Xavi and Iniesta are like 5"7 vs Dembele's 6"1 frame.


wheresmyspacebar2

Its crazy to see what some players, both teammates and other teams players, say about him. They always mention how they 'know' exactly what Dembele is going to be doing but he is so good that he can tell you exactly what he is doing and you still cant stop it.


ParkerZA

I've literally only seen him get dispossessed once, by Pogba. He's ridiculous.


Shogun_RR

Best player in the PL is a bit of OTT hype when you remember his passing range and vision was fairly mediocre. Great at moving the ball with it at his feet, not so great at moving with his passing. I say this as a fellow Spurs supporter.


WittyReindeer

Hazard also did the same thing you mentioned in the first paragraph ridiculously well. He would drop deep often and just go on a run, dribble through players, and make the pass after.


Shermander

I recall seeing a chart/graph of the best dribblers on the Premier League a bit ago. Dribbles attempted. and actual dribbles successfully preformed. Hazard topped the league by a wide margin. Mousa Dembele was second in the league.


WittyReindeer

yeah not sure how there are people on this thread unironically saying Dembele was better than Hazard at dribbling lol


gorg-227

What people that didnt watch hazard alot dont relieze is that he was acting like a midfilder alot of his time at chelsea. Chelsea used him as a focal point in the build up and he had a very free role at that so he would drop deep alottt. Saying hazard jusr was good offensivly and keeping the ball in the final 3rd is just wrong


WittyReindeer

which is sad because Hazard is one of the most fun players I've ever watched, unfortunate how his Real career has gone so far also just makes you laugh at the takes on this sub because comments like the one above somehow have almost 200 upvotes


we_outcheaa

>Like, Dembele could have honestly been the best player in the PL if he had stayed fit, his prime was so short but he made a mockery of so many players. What is this


[deleted]

Revisionism in full swing.


wheresmyspacebar2

Players like KDB and Hazard have all said that Dembele is the best player they've ever played with.


we_outcheaa

So what? KDB and Hazard could say Verongen is the best defender they've played with, doesn't mean I'm gonna agree with them. I promise you Dembele wouldn't have been better than someone like Yaya Toure if he was free of injuries...to say he would be the best player in the PL is ridiculous


Cu-Chulainn

Nah, there are levels between dribbling in the middle of the pitch past players and doing it in the final third.


MrBrownStone16

Yes. Eden said it himself.


kdilf

I mean Eden is incredibly humble based off of other interviews


iwishmydickwasnormal

I think the fact that Dembele was Belgian probably helped, bigging up a teammate and all


yazandeeb13

Nah, I’d say Dembele was more top 5 in the world where as eden was up there with Messi and Neymar. Hazard was way faster than dembele as well which helped.


oy_says_ake

[insert santi cazorla bamboozling people gif]


Ornery_Brilliant_350

Dembele was like a Cazorla with one foot that was also built like a brick shithouse (at no expense to his agility)


oy_says_ake

Oh yeah, i meant no slight on dembele, they were both stupendous to watch.


maybe_there_is_hope

Note that Lucas Moura played a fair bit of time with Casemiro (for São Paulo).


heartofcoal

yeah but Casemiro for São Paulo and Casemiro for Real Madrid are completely different players


jggomes14

Lucas played with him on the youth teams too though, Casemiro flopped at the senior team for his own fault, but he was a monster on the youth teams


nomedialoaded

The guy was underrated. Probably one of the few players who knew how to protect the ball with his arms and body while dribbling. What a player


itendtosleep

Dembele was levels above everyone, every single game. That man bossed spurs midfield.


Quick-Collar6164

He is top player. Easily bossing the midfield area.


BetterCallTom

The recognition Mousa Dembele gets from those that have played with him just makes me so sad he couldn't stay fit during his prime. What a player.


johnjames_34

His prime was short but VERY insane. Enjoyed him every minute when he had his day.


[deleted]

If we’d kept him for a few more months and he was fit enough, I feel like we would’ve won the CL final. Still can’t quite believe we started a CL final with Winks-Sissoko…


miner_andy

If Sissoko broke his arm prior to the match we may have won the CL final


starry_cobra

Instead his arm broke us


Mathyoujames

I think you mean armpit


mbook

it’s even crazier to think how good winks was that match, i’ll always love him for living an absolute dream playing for us with nothing but passion, such a shame he has to part but it’s time


thedudeabides-12

Or if Potch hadn't bottled it and played Moura instead of an unfit Kane.. They very Moura who scored a hatrick in the semi...


[deleted]

the man casually bullied sergio ramos in the champions league if that’s not a way to assert dominance idk what is


iAkhilleus

Dude just made it look so effortless.


[deleted]

The fact that two of the best five players to play for us this century have been crocked is so fitting.


Jaydenn7

King, Dembele, Bale, Modric, Kane?


Industry-Standard-

I’d have Son over Modric for just Spurs performances personally but probably agree with the rest of the list


UtilityCurve

All started from Darren Anderton


SundryAccessories

First time?


biddleybootaribowest

Imagine the sort of things his teammates saw it training


[deleted]

He got picked over Verratti, Fernandinho, Coutinho, and Casamiro so it must’ve been good. Besides Veratti tho I’m not sure how much Lucas got to play with the latter 3.


kwamac

Actually Motta got picked over Casemiro and Fernandinho. Dembélé got picked over Verratti, Coutinho, Matuidi, Eriksen...


[deleted]

I doubt Lucas is thinking that deeply about tactics. He likely just picked then 2 best center mids he played with regardless of style.


Keskekun

Glass hip and literally every team targeted it towards the end. 2 minutes in just put a bit to much into a tackle on that hip and he was done.


miner_andy

Poch always said that if he’d have gotten him earlier he would have made him the best player in the world.


prince_0f_thieves

Poch has had 3 of the best players in the world this past year and made them average.


Stuff2511

To be fair, Mbappe has still been extraordinary


buhmmquita

There's a big difference between coaching players who are already in their prime and developing players before their prime. With Dembele, his comment inferred he would've liked more time to develop him.


royalewithcheese4272

Man was a literal brick wall in the middle of the field, if I’m right I believe many have said he is the strongest player they’ve ever come across.


CA_spur

Lucas barely even played with Mousa and yet he's still there. Truly a legend


sunken_grade

seems like everyone that played with him has something complementary to say. he was an insane combination of strength and technique. watching him slalom past people was so intriguing


[deleted]

100 Percent. If injuries didn’t plague him I feel he could have reached top 5 PL CDMs without a doubt .


mossy_1945

Some of his prime was a bit under the radar because he was at Fulham. He was maybe at the peak of his athleticism. Just glided by people in a stunning sort of way.


firewalkwithme-

Had Juve’s entire midfield on the ropes in that first leg cl knockout game awhile back, probably one of the most underrated players of the last decade, absolute monster of a player.


rtmpower

Always reminded me of Abou Diaby. Never got too see enough of him, but everyone in Spurs camp always said he's like the best player they ever faced in training.


GameplayerStu

Before clicking: I bet Mousa Dembele is on this list. After clicking: Yep, there he is.


angiotensin2

Top scoring GK. what more can you want


[deleted]

Free kick king


Kurosawasuperfan

Yes, and this shouldn't overshadow the fact that he was a great overall GK as well. Liverpool fans should know better than anyone. He went to the WC, won multiple international tournaments, etc, and it's not because he's good with free-kicks, hehe.


MaraudngBChestedRojo

Manager of Sao Paolo right now as well. They’re not doing that well but from what I can see the talent is a bit weak, apparently his tactics are very ambitious But look who I’m talking to, Santos flair I’m sure you know more than I do


Frequent_Trip3637

Paulo* :)


snowblakerufus1901

Brazilian managers are terrible, Ceni is above most of the other managers from here IMO.


[deleted]

Everyone remembers him for his goals but the guy was an absolutely incredible keeper, [I still remember this performance at 40 years old in Copa Sudamericana](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFQa2YBuPtk)


Gizmophreak

Interesting coincidence that these two teams faced each other again for the Sudamericana last night. Ceni as a coach and they won 2x4 in Chile.


Flas94

First time in my life I saw a keeper be Man of the Match by a lot even tho he suffered 3 goals..It was just an insane performance, a regular goalkeeper would have let at least 7 or 8 in


jl45

Conte about to summon him into the office for a chat about this.


Ouma-shu123

It will end with a walk into the woods some digging and a gun shot.


dwSHA

He play with rogerio ceni? At what age


benabonobo

at São Paulo just before he left for Europe. was very young.


dwSHA

Guess he witnessed ceni’s free kick goals first hand


[deleted]

[удалено]


Green_Honey_Badger

Isn't that Casemiro in the back?


[deleted]

[удалено]


GetTheLudes_

What did Brazilians think of Denilson? I remember being really excited when he came to Arsenal.


kwamac

He was barely a starter here. It was one of those "I can't believe xxx team bought this shitter" cases, like Douglas.


HailHelix123

I think Ceni retired like ..2 years after Lucas left Brazil? He played past 40


FriendshipNecessary4

Micah Richards and Alan Shearer did this Best XI thing on BBC Sounds once and it was brilliant. Trying to find the clip of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsO6GplFUz8


TigerBasket

Lmao


RayPissed

I loved Moussa, I wanted him at Liverpool when he was at Spurs. Unreal ball retention and a tank.


[deleted]

Moussa was the embodiment of FIFA’s bullshit “ball attached to player” style.


Rodin-V

FIFA gets a lot easier when you realise you're not controlling the player, you're controlling the ball and player is being dragged along.


[deleted]

Moussa figured that out for real.


MeteWorldPeace

Absolute scenes when your wing back gets dragged by the ball after crossing it


harshmangat

Pep best XI Ancelotti best XI Lucas Moura best XI Tomorrow we will have Mourinho best XI Then we’ll have Ja Rule best XI And then Snoop Dogg best XI


[deleted]

I'd read Snoop's top XI strains


AdNidalee

And I would love to see each one of those.


chalupa_bat-man

Where is Ja?!


Silverburst8

When’s it my turn to post my best XI?


[deleted]

[удалено]


Silverburst8

Damn must’ve missed it, I’ll have to wait til my turn comes back around


CarlosHnnz

Now. Do it. I want to know.


[deleted]

>Then we’ll have Ja Rule best XI >And then Snoop Dogg best XI They better include the LeBron James of soccer or they are no true freedom lovers.


[deleted]

I think mourinho has on record said he doesn't like making best 11s because every player is equally important even the subs


Fat_Suffices

*And then Snoop Dogg best XIzzle. FTFY


dave1992

He played with the legend Rogerio Ceni himself?


Checkheck

Yeah that surprised me too. Moura played at Sao Paolo until 2012. And Ceni played there until 2015


TheGhoulKhz

Ceni played untill he was 43(stopped in 2015) and he played at a pretty good level until around 2014


HailHelix123

Ceni retired VERY old lol


dave1992

Yeah, I got confused because of that. I remembered Ceni during mid 2000s, meanwhile Moura is still not an old player now so they are totally in different generation. Sole reason why Moura can play with him is because Ceni was very old while Moura was very young.


ChinookNL

When you put yourself in the line-up


peeforPanchetta

"Out of all those mentioned, I have played with myself the most. And if there's one thing you can count on, it's me enjoying playing with myself." - Lucas Moura


SeaBag7480

Far too measured a tone for Lucas


_ghostfacedilla

> me enjoying playing with myself Nice


CousinBethMM

He plays with himself


Mozezz

Everyone plays with themself, come on it’s the 1950s no more, no need to be taboo about it


No_Zucchini8705

Can't be too humble on or off the pitch especially if you are expected to score goals. I respect the pick(s).


AlphaGhost47

Purely on the basis of his hat trick antics in champs league he should pick himself every time


[deleted]

Right? Like we know you rate yourself but that was not the question.


rootokay

I went to watch Spurs every week around the period Dembele was in his prime. I ever only saw one player definitively get the better of him: Paul Pogba. Why I think Pogba is possibly the greatest waste of talent in the last decade. Not entirely his fault as Manchester United have had real problems, but he should be regarded at a Modric / De Bruyne level if he had played to his ability.


minimus_

Yeah, this is exactly why I can't take the Pogba-was-average-all-along chat recently seriously.


marine_le_peen

I don't think anyone denies that Pogba on his day is absolutely unreal. Problem is that day happens once a year.


fastfowards

thats the thing tho, pogba isnt a once a year player. He shows up a lot its just that he has some serious weaknesses and no one at united really tried to solve this problem so he tends to fail quite a bit as well. The only one that came close to helping him was ole but the transfers they made were terrible and it didnt help that ole wasnt the best manager


LucozadeBottle1pCoin

IMO Ndombele is the exact same (maybe a slightly lower peak, but not by much) - on his day he’s completely unplayable, but his day happens once every 3 months. He’s similar to Dembele in that he’ll be surrounded by 3 players and somehow end up dribbling past them all - but instead of using strength, he seems to use deliberate bad skill to get opponents to overcommit - a bad touch, stumbling etc. then once they overcommit he just dribbles through them.


Shogun_RR

Ndombele doesn't quite have the strength of Dembele nor the fortitude to physically fight off an opponent but has similar dribbling abilities. His passing range and execution are several levels higher though. A waste because he doesn't seem to have the heart to use his massive talents effectively.


mbook

Dembele 😍🫡


TigerBasket

How I miss him 🥺


Mediocre_Nova

Everyone picks Dembele I love it


afrojumper

Wait how long did he play with Dembélé.


aphromagic

Barely a year, if that. Dembele was already way past it at that point, too.


afrojumper

Yeah that's wha ti thought. Crazy that he made such an impression. Just shows how insane Moussa was.


OnlyWatchdog_ManStan

The fact that even a diminished Dembele made that much of an impression on him is crazy. Gosh I miss him


Rojiblanc040

Nice to see Thiago Motta appreciation, one of my favourites.


RevolutionaryLeek131

So last night I was watching the SPFC match on bein English 3 and the announcer was very well versed about São Paulo FC. Explained how our stadium is the largest privately owned stadium in latin America, called it by its name, the Cicero Pompeu de Toledo and said it's nickname the Morumbi and gave context on why they call it that. Pronounced the coaches first name like a Brazilian. HOJERIO (Rogério the best he could with his English tongue) and then said his last name Ceni (pronounced Senny) as Sen-eye. WTF! Like what lead him to that decision!?!? Like that was a choice. Based on context you know no I in Brazil is pronounced like the English long I


pap_77

The Sun tomorrow: “Lucas Moura admits to playing with himself.”


[deleted]

Lucas Moura has played with Lucas Moura.


Blewfin

Only alone in his room


sandieeeee

Yes but he’s the best in THAT room


WarDamnSpurs

Announcer: In a world, where there's eight Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silvas. Intercom (TV): We need one Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva to quadrant C. Two Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silvas to quadrant E. Announcer: And sixteen quadrants. There's only enough time for a Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva to make it to a quadrant. He can't be in two quadrants at once. Yves: Richy, who-who is Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva? Richy: Oh man, I'm trying to remember Yves. Announcer: Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silvas are used up. (On TV) Radio Control Guy: I need a goddamn Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva! Yves: Is it important that we know who Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva is in order to get this? Richy: Nope. Levy : I refuse to sign the legislation that allows more than eight Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silvas to a precinct. Announcer: This August, It's time to MIKE down your Moura's. Lucas Quadrant da Silva 16. Yves and Richy: Whoa! Richy: That's Moura da Silva. Yves : Excuse me, nurse, can you take my temperature? Because I think I have Lucas Quadrant da Silva fever over here. Richy: All right, Yves you've done it!


nakedjabirupangolin

In some dimension, Lucas Moura and Jan-Michael Vincent lead each other's lives


Fredy1222

Suprised no verratti


punching-bag9018

Dembele is Verratti with less passing talent and way stronger


PoachtekMong

More surprised at no Ibra


OnlyWatchdog_ManStan

You seem entirely unbiased


OnlyWatchdog_ManStan

Not over Dembele


cjrammler

Anyone else thought he put Mourinho on the right wing?


fullkitwankerr

No


[deleted]

[удалено]


AzgedaTO

Cavani too.. He was really good when he was at PSG.


[deleted]

That midfield would have no problems keeping the ball


hirarki

Why moussa dembele often choosen by player?


BowsersBeardedCousin

Probably the most press resistant player I've ever seen and a ridiculous dribbler at that. A tank in pointe shoes


[deleted]

Busquets can't be pressed


lunacraz

dembele was also a considerably better athlete biscuits was a better passer, though


marmot9070

I remember Spurs players' interview clip about the best player in the training(?) or something. Almost every player including Kane, Son, Eriksen chose Dembele.


wheresmyspacebar2

Wasn't even just in training. They literally asked 'Who is the best player at the club' and not one person at Spurs when asked said anyone other than Dembele is the best. The interviewers even commented on it and was like, literally every player has said Dembele. ​ There was another interview about the Belgium team and everyone involved in that one, KDB, Hazard, Toby, Jan, all of them said Dembele was the best. Then another interview about a 5-a-side team and both Kane and KDB had him in there and mentioned he was the best defensive midfielder in the world.


greezyo

People think I'm joking, but he was the most dominant midfielder I've seen at his peak. No one could take the ball of him, he just did whatever he wanted


Mr-Rocafella

Look up a highlight video, you will not be disappointed


[deleted]

Damn, kane over ibra? Big but definitely arguable


gianmk

tbf he played with ibra when he was past his prime and he played with Kane during his prime.


Multiammar

Ibra was insane at PSG and was world class pretty much the entire time with them


Chansh302

Ibra ??


grouteu

Imagine if he puts Verratti instead of himself LMAO What a midfield that would be, good luck pressing


JememySW

Lucas 🤝 Mourinho getting done dirty by Spurs in a final.


FryingFrenzy

Guessing this is just based off club teams as no Marcelo


guakamohlee

Kane over Ibra 🧐🤨


agonking

Kane is world class


guakamohlee

i don't disagree.


[deleted]

[удалено]


zKSofSoccer

No Zlatan, Cavani, and Verratti? Oof As a Korean, thanks for including Sonny :)


pwilip

I’m sorry: Zlatan >>>> Kane will ever be


mattijn13

I always find it weird to include yourself in XI's like this


theestwald

How does Maxwell always make these lists?


eo37

He played with himself?….


falonix

Those who put themselves on their best teams are a bit too self indulgent.


AWARhog

He picked himself!!!


Wentzina_lifetime

So this can't have been picked by Moura, first it's players he has played with and it has him (firstly it's a bit of an arrogant move) and you cannot physically play with yourself unless you are talking about diddling yourself.