Moussa Dembele Establishing His Own Identity

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

Tottenham midfielder Moussa Dembele told the press that he is a “totally different player” from Luka Modric, his predecessor in the club’s midfield. Dembele arrived at White Hart Lane in a 15 million euro move from Fulham over the summer following Modric’s departure to Real Madrid, leading to comparisons between the pair. However, while the Belgium international has revealed he is an admirer of Modric, he feels they both have differing styles of play.

“Before I came to Tottenham, I was a big fan of Luka Modric,” he told England’s Daily Mirror. “For me, he was one of the best in England but I am a totally different player. He had different qualities and I have different qualities as well so I don’t feel I have to do exactly what he did, I do my own game. I try my best to be as important as he was and that would be a great achievement.”

Moussa Sidi Yaya Dembele was born in Belgium in 1987. His father originally emigrated to Belgium from Mali. Moussa started his career at Belgian Pro League team Germinal Beerschot before spells at Dutch Eredivisie sides Willem II and AZ. Dembele then transferred to Premier League squad Fulham in 2010.

Dembele made his first international appearance in May of 2006, against Slovakia coming on as a substitute for Luigi Pieroni. He then scored his first international goal in October 2006 against Azerbaijan. Dembele took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he was instrumental in Belgium’s 3–2 win to Italy in the quarterfinals, scoring two goals, including the defining goal of the match. Belgium then progressed, losing to Nigeria in the semi-finals and Brazil in the third place play-off. Dembélé played in all six of Belgium’s games at the Olympics. In all, Dembele has 40 caps for the Belgian national team.

Tottenham moved into fourth place with their recent win over Swansea and Dembele is keen for them to stay there and seal Champions League qualification. “I want to win that game and then the next and we will see where we are but of course you want to be at the top of the table,” he added. “We want to be there for the Champions League. That’s very important for us, because we feel we have the quality to do this. But every game is a battle.”

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