The large majority of footballer highlights videos on YouTube are bad. Like, David Luiz On A Bad Night bad. This new Mousa Dembele reel, however, is worth sharing as it reminds us why so many of his team-mates rated the colossal Belgian as the most talented player at their club. Kevin de Bruyne (the best player in the world right now) once called his compatriot the best five-a-side player in the world, which might seem like a kind of faint praise, but actually was designed to illustrate how you just can’t get the ball off him. The man is a human shield, as the video above shows.
Who received the ball with more grace than Mousa? Zidane, probably. Few others. Who protected the ball better than Mousa? Zidane, again. Peak Busquets, maybe. Dembele is a world-class talent but he never stayed fit enough for long spells, which is why, at only 32, he’s strolling around in the Chinese Super League, his majesty missed every day by AZ, Fulham and Spurs fans alike.