Mousa Dembele retires from football: When every Tottenham star said midfielder was the best

Thank You, Mousa Dembele! started trending across social media platforms, the moment news of the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder's retirement after rejecting the offer of a new contract from Chinese club Guangzhou F.C. poured in. Although there has been no official announcement on the club's website, the Belgian is reportedly back home with his young children in Antwerp.

According to Belgian outlet HLN, the 34-year-old Mousa Dembele, who joined Guangzhou in 2019 after seven years at Tottenham, has let his previous offer expire.

Mousa Dembele was a fan favourite at Tottenham, and several people took to Twitter to pay tribute to the Belgian following news of his retirement. One fan noted, "Mousa Dembele was unplayable on his day. Watching him glide up the pitch in his pomp was a joy."

Dembele enjoyed spells at Beerschot, Willem II and AZ before making an impact for Fulham in the Premier League. The midfielder then spent seven glorious years in North London with Tottenham Hotspur. Dembele made 249 appearances for Tottenham, scoring ten goals for the club in all competitions. He also won 82 caps for Belgium, with his last appearance in 2019.

Several people believe the former Belgium international was one of the most underrated players in Premier League history. However, this old video shared by Daily Hotspur on Twitter reveals how Mousa Dembele was considered the best by his former teammates, including Dele Alli, who recently made a move to Everton.

Meanwhile, fans also shared a compilation of the Belgian midfielder in action that reminds us that Dembele was perhaps one of the best dribblers of all time.

The 34-year-old, who former manager Mauricio Pochettino once described as a 'genius' and among the best he had ever worked with, can look back on his career with pride.