Tottenham’s Dembele flattered by Maradona and Ronaldinho comparisons

Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele is pleased to be earning praise from his manager but the Belgian says he wants to finish the season on a high and collect silverware.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino hailed Dembele a ‘genius’ and compared his ability with the likes of Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho after his dominant performance secured a 2-2 draw at Juventus in the Champions League last-16 tie.

Ahead of the second leg at Wembley on Wednesday, Dembele, who last won a league title with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar almost 10 years ago, said he would like to finish his career with a few more winners’ medals.

Mauricio Pochettino compared his ability with the likes of Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho

‘He (Pochettino) speaks a lot with me and gives me confidence. He’s mentioned these kinds of things to me in the past,’ Dembele said.

‘Obviously he’s been giving me confidence and it’s a good thing, but you always want to win something, so it doesn’t change my role.

‘It’s a good feeling. Everybody likes to be appreciated. It’s a good feeling, but there’s so much to play for still.’

 ‘He (Pochettino) speaks a lot with me and gives me confidence,’ said the Spurs midfielder

Dembele appeared to be limping after being substituted in their 2-0 league victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday but said he was fine.

‘I feel good, to be honest. I’ve played a lot of games, and automatically, if I play a lot of games, I feel fitter, much stronger, and good,’ he added.

After seeing his team beat Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in Europe this season, the 30-year-old is confident they have enough firepower to cope with the Italian champions.

‘The Champions League is a different type of tournament and anything can happen, and obviously we have a lot of confidence, against Juve and Real … we’re not scared of them. The thing is now we have to keep focused,’ Dembele said. 

‘It’s a good feeling. Everybody likes to be appreciated,’ added the Belgium international