{"id":7749,"date":"2025-06-09T00:31:56","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T00:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/06\/09\/jack-wilsher-faced-messi-but-named-tottenhams-icon-the-toughest-opponent-ever\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T00:31:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T00:31:56","slug":"jack-wilsher-faced-messi-but-named-tottenhams-icon-the-toughest-opponent-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/06\/09\/jack-wilsher-faced-messi-but-named-tottenhams-icon-the-toughest-opponent-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Wilsher faced Messi, but named Tottenham&#8217;s icon the toughest opponent ever."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/06\/09\/jack-wilsher-faced-messi-but-named-tottenhams-icon-the-toughest-opponent-ever\/#Dembeles_teammates_called_him_one_of_the_best_players_in_the_world\" >Dembele&#8217;s teammates called him one of the best players in the world.<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/06\/09\/jack-wilsher-faced-messi-but-named-tottenhams-icon-the-toughest-opponent-ever\/#AI_predicts_the_202526_Premier_League_table\" >AI predicts the 2025\/26 Premier League table<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Football players with unique styles of play, top technical abilities, or undeveloped possibilities are often referred to as &#8220;don&#8217;t forget the streets&#8221; players.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>Players who simply grabbed moments on the biggest stage like the one-season Premier League Miche, tricky Mavericks like Hatem Ben Alpha, or South African World Cup star Sifiewe Tsshabalala, have always had a soft spot for players who have captured their hearts and hearts.<\/p>\n<p>Like Adel Tarabuto, they never met their true potential, but others had glittering careers, but the pure amount of social media and football coverage adored fans for the stars who unintentionally swayed once a week, other than to astonish the audience.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-container\">\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"1\" style=\"\" align=\"\" summary=\"\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p>In Premier League history, &#8220;Top Street is &#8220;unforgettable&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>10. Yannick Bolasie<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>9. AndrereArvhavin<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>8. Papis Cise<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>7, Dimitri Payet<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>6. Morten Gumst Pedersen<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>5. Musa Dembele<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>4. JJ Okocha<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>3. Adel Tarabuto<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>2. Mishu<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>1. Hatem Ben Alpha<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;The boy Misch was a revelation,&#8221; Sir Alex Ferguson once said of the Spanish striker in Swansea. &#8220;To sign him for just \u00a32 million and get 20 goals from him &#8211; what a bargain!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, such cult hero status does not belong to scorers alone, as Mousadembele proved in his time at Tottenham Hotspur. The Belgian only found the net in his 249 appearances for the Spurs, but is considered one of the most technically talented midfielders of all time.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"dembele-39-s-teammates-called-him-the-one-of-the-best-players-in-the-world\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dembeles_teammates_called_him_one_of_the_best_players_in_the_world\"><\/span>\n                        <strong>Dembele&#8217;s teammates called him one of the best players in the world.<\/strong><br \/>\n               <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Having won 82 caps in Belgium, Dembele praised his ability to avoid the press throughout his career, and came out of trouble as a deep midfielder.<\/p>\n<p>Dembele began his career as a winger, idolizing legendary forward Patrick Kruibert.<\/p>\n<p>Many Spurs stars have repeated this sentiment for many years. Delhi Alli claimed to be the best player on the team in 2016, with current captain Song Hengmin saying, &#8220;He&#8217;s incredible Musa. I&#8217;ve never seen this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But perhaps the best sign of a player&#8217;s talent is what their opponents have to say, with Arsenal icon Jack Wilsher naming Dembele his toughest opponent.<\/p>\n<section class=\"emaki-custom-block emaki-custom-pullquote\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"emaki-custom pullquote\" id=\"custom_block_14\">\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>&#8220;The best player I&#8217;ve played against? I played Messi, and that&#8217;s obviously the best player I&#8217;ve ever had. But I only played with him twice.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>&#8220;The thing I was consistently playing against was Dembele of Tottenham that I hated playing against. What a player! He was strong, quick, skilled, and had that nasty side to him.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>&#8220;I had a bit of it with him and he just stayed on top of me, but he didn&#8217;t care. And he was very strong. He almost showed you the ball, and he passed you.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"table-container\">\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"1\" style=\"\" align=\"\" summary=\"\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p>Dembele in Tottenham<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p>start<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p>the goal<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p>assist<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p>League finish<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>2012-13<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>26<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>3<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>No. 5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>2013-14<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>twenty two<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>No. 6<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>2014-15<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>No. 5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>2015-16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>27<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>3<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>Third<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>2016-17<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>twenty four<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>Second<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>2017-18<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>twenty one<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>Third<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>2018-19<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>7<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>Fourth<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>With elite teams currently spending hundreds of millions of dollars to find the perfect midfielder, the aesthetically pleasing style of Tottenham legends will earn you hefty fees in today&#8217;s transfer market.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                      \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"9f9d-4a93-9d40933dd40e\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"w-img \"><\/div>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\">Related<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"AI_predicts_the_202526_Premier_League_table\"><\/span>\n<p>\t\t\tAI predicts the 2025\/26 Premier League table<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Who are the winners and losers at the AI \u200b\u200btable?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Football players with unique styles of play, top technical abilities, or undeveloped possibilities are often referred to as &#8220;don&#8217;t forget the streets&#8221; players. Players who simply grabbed moments on the biggest stage like the one-season Premier League Miche, tricky Mavericks like Hatem Ben Alpha, or South African World Cup star Sifiewe Tsshabalala, have always had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2368,40,2369,182,822,440,2370,684,863,2367],"class_list":{"0":"post-7749","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-faced","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-icon","11":"tag-jack","12":"tag-messi","13":"tag-named","14":"tag-opponent","15":"tag-tottenhams","16":"tag-toughest","17":"tag-wilsher"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}