Dembele appreciates Maradona, Ronaldinho comparisons

Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele appreciates being compared to all-time greats and he is eager to win trophies for manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Dembele, 30, was lauded by Pochettino, who compared the Belgium international to the likes of Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho.

While the midfielder said those words from his boss were nice, he is keen to repay Pochettino by continuing to produce good performances.

“In the past we spoke a lot as well, so it’s not something new you’re telling me. He speaks a lot with me and gives me confidence,” Dembele said, via the Telegraph.

“He’s mentioned these kinds of things to me in the past. 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.”

Spurs are in the FA Cup quarter-finals – in which they face Swansea City later this month – and are well-placed in the Champions League.

Pochettino’s side managed to grab a 2-2 draw at Juventus in the first leg of their last-16 tie and host the Serie A giants on Wednesday.

Dembele said his team, who sit fourth in the Premier League, had nothing to fear against Europe’s biggest clubs.

“Obviously, the way we’ve played over a few years already, we’ve shown everyone that we can play very well against top teams,” he said.

“It doesn’t surprise me that we can play good against these teams. The Champions League is a different type of tournament, anything can happen and we have a lot of confidence.

“Against Juve, against [Real] Madrid: we were not scared of them. The thing is now we have to keep focused. The next game is Juve and we can do something.”