Former Chelsea and Belgium international Eden Hazard has identified Mousa Dembele as the most underrated midfielder he played alongside during his professional career.
Hazard featured with some of the finest players in world football across his time at Chelsea, Real Madrid and the Belgium national team. Despite sharing the pitch with several high profile stars, he believes one of his international teammates did not receive the recognition he deserved.
The 35 year old retired from professional football in 2023 following his departure from Real Madrid. His move to the Spanish club from Chelsea had the potential to reach £150 million if all performance related clauses were fulfilled.
During his time in Spain, Hazard made 76 appearances, scoring seven goals. Despite injury setbacks and limited impact, he secured two La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League trophy with the club.
At Real Madrid, he played alongside Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos. His Chelsea career also saw him share the dressing room with Frank Lampard, John Terry, Cesc Fabregas and Ashley Cole, among other elite talents.
On the international stage, Hazard was part of Belgium’s golden generation, featuring Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany and Romelu Lukaku.
While acknowledging that most of his teammates received due credit for their performances, Hazard singled out Mousa Dembele as a player who was often overlooked.
Dembele, who played for Tottenham and Fulham, earned admiration from fans but was rarely placed among the very best midfielders of his era.
Speaking to The Guardian, Hazard said, “I have always believed that Mousa Dembélé was one of the best midfielders from that era. People didn’t talk about him a lot because he didn’t score many goals, but the fans in the Premier League know he was one of the best players.”
Former Fulham manager Martin Jol also offered high praise for Dembele after his move to Tottenham.
Jol said, “We’ve had a few players in the last few years who are really much better than the rest.
“Dembele is likely the best player I’ve ever seen when it comes to handling the ball, and we lost him.”
