Mauricio Pochettino labored and performed with the good and the nice of soccer – and just a few he’d name geniuses.
The Argentine supervisor spent two years as a participant at Paris Saint-Germain, who play his former facet Tottenham within the Tremendous Cup – earlier than additionally managing them for a yr after 5 years within the Spurs dugout.
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And whereas enjoying within the French capital between 2001 and 2003, he had the pleasure of calling Ronaldinho his teammate.
Probably the greatest on the planet throughout his heyday, Pochettino additionally as soon as shared a room with one other legend of the sport in Diego Maradona whom he performed with at Newell’s Outdated Boys of their native Argentina.
He later managed a few of the biggest gamers, together with Harry Kane, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
One participant stood out, nevertheless.
Talking in 2017, Pochettino defined: “I all the time say, ‘Mousa [Dembele], in my e book, you can be one in all my genius gamers that I’ve been fortunate to fulfill.’
“One was Maradona, then Ronaldinho, [Jay-Jay] Okocha and [Ivan] De La Pena. He’s a genius too, Mousa Dembele.
“We all the time informed him, ‘If we had taken you at eighteen or nineteen years outdated, you’ll have develop into top-of-the-line gamers on the planet.’ I might have cherished to have taken him on at 18.”
The PSG facet that includes Pochettino and Ronaldinho additionally included Okocha as they narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification in 2002.
Pochettino would take pleasure in his most profitable spells as a participant with Espanyol, although.
His two stints on the Spanish facet each noticed him win the Copa del Rey, however it was in the course of the second which he performed alongside membership legend De la Pena.
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The midfielder’s performances noticed him adored by followers of the membership as he helped Espanyol attain the UEFA Cup ultimate in 2007, a yr after Pochettino’s retirement.
Dembele was on the identical stage as these legendary figures in Pochettino’s eyes.
The pair labored collectively for 5 of the Belgian’s seven years at Spurs between 2012 and 2019.
He suffered from accidents, however ended up enjoying a few of his greatest soccer below Pochettino.
What made Dembele particular?
Pochettino continued: “Mousa Dembele is totally completely different to after we arrived right here.
“He did not play an excessive amount of in his first season, he all the time had issues, or bodily issues. I need to give all credit score to [the coaching team].
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“Sports activities science and all of the medical employees to create a Mousa Dembele now that’s robust and may play. I feel that each week in case you are sincere, you’ll agree with me.
“He has began to work very arduous. We offer particular person plans to each participant. I feel we’re very pleased.”
His teammates thought he was head and shoulders above everybody else. When requested to call probably the most naturally gifted participant he had performed alongside, former Spurs striker Kane stated: “Everybody says it, however, Mousa Dembele.
“By way of technical, energy, energy. Simply unbelievable. We noticed it in coaching each day. He would not let anybody come near him. Superb means.”
Kyle Walker stated comparable. “He is a scandal. The one factor Dembele did not have was assists and targets, however he had silly expertise – it should not have been allowed.”
Each Dembele and Pochettino left Spurs in 2019, with the latter happening to educate PSG.
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He took cost of the membership in January 2021 and spent 18 months within the hotseat.
Throughout that point, PSG gained three trophies, together with the Ligue 1 title in Pochettino’s solely full season on the helm.
Nevertheless, he left on the finish of the 2021/22 marketing campaign following a disappointing final 16 exit from the Champions League.
Following a season accountable for Chelsea, Pochettino is the present USA nationwide workforce boss.
When is PSG vs Spurs?
His former golf equipment meet competitively for the primary time within the Tremendous Cup with Champions League winners PSG taking up Europa League winners Tottenham in Italy.
Their conflict on the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy is their first-ever aggressive fixture.
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Additionally it is each golf equipment’ maiden look within the curtain-raiser for the brand new European season.
Spurs will probably be hoping to win their fifth continental trophy having additionally been two-time UEFA Cup winners in addition to Cup Winners’ Cup champions in 1963.
In the meantime, a victory for PSG would proceed their silverware streak after a quadruple in the course of the earlier marketing campaign.
Luis Enrique’s facet scooped the French Tremendous Cup, Ligue 1, French Cup and Champions League earlier than reaching the Membership World Cup ultimate.
The match will probably be their first outing since that 3-0 ultimate defeat to Chelsea in New York again in July.